Chapter 341
Chapter 341
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 341
Chapter Title: Lost the Way
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Dang Mujin was a sensible man, so he figured it wasn't his fault whether Namgung Jincheon fainted and got dragged away or not.
However, as the head of the Dang family, he couldn't just sit idly by. He needed to at least grasp how things were unfolding inside the Dang family stronghold.
On top of that, his instincts as a physician stirred his impatience. The Three-Eyed One's power was no joke, so there was a high chance of severe internal injuries from a single blow.
A bit late in the evening.
Dang Mujin headed to the Three-Eyed One's quarters.
*
However, unexpectedly, the first person Dang Mujin ran into wasn't the Three-Eyed One or Namgung Jincheon.
Dang Mujin bumped into Jang Ilnam, who was peeking around in front of the Three-Eyed One's quarters.
In fact, the Three-Eyed One's quarters were also Jang Ilnam's. Ever since arriving at the Dang family stronghold on the first day, Jang Ilnam had been living in the same house as the Three-Eyed One.
It must have been cramped for two people in such a small place, but Jang Ilnam hadn't moved out and had been getting by just fine.
Dang Mujin asked,
"The wind is chilly, so why aren't you going inside? What's keeping you out here?"
"I should head in and sleep soon, but I'm hesitant because if I run into Namgung Jincheon, he'll probably challenge me to a spar."
"A spar or two wouldn't hurt, would it? It's not a real fight."
"That's true. But I'm not really in the mood..."
Dang Mujin offered a suitable solution.
"How about staying in another room until Namgung Jincheon leaves?"
"That won't do. I snore sometimes. And my bedding is in there."
"...Should I arrange for you to move to different quarters altogether? I'll provide fresh bedding too."
"It's fine. I like staying somewhere familiar. Your brother said he's only staying a few days before leaving anyway."
Perhaps having heard Dang Mujin and Jang Ilnam talking outside, the door opened, revealing the Three-Eyed One's upper body.
"Why talk out there? Just come in."
Jang Ilnam hesitated a bit but soon made up his mind and headed inside with Dang Mujin.
Unexpectedly, Namgung Jincheon had already regained consciousness and was sitting in meditation.
However, Namgung Jincheon's demeanor was completely different from what Dang Mujin remembered. It was to the point where you could believe they were twins who just looked alike.
Namgung Jincheon spoke to Dang Mujin in a refreshing voice.
"I couldn't even greet you properly earlier. Forgive me."
"It's fine. It hasn't been that long since we last met."
Not long ago, Dang Mujin had thought Namgung Jincheon was an extremely cold and arrogant man.
But the current Namgung Jincheon's vibe was no different from any ordinary martial artist. Properly upright, appropriately friendly, and able to loosen up when needed—a typical man.
"You seem quite different from before."
"When we met previously, I was the head of the Namgung family. I had to show the demeanor fitting the patriarch of the Namgung family, not my true self. But this isn't the Namgung family, and I'm no longer its patriarch."
"The demeanor fitting a patriarch..."
At Dang Mujin's response, Namgung Jincheon burst into cheerful laughter.
"Exactly. Myeong's probably picking it up naturally by now. Come visit the Namgung family in a few years. He'll have mastered that stern expression by then."
As expected, Namgung Jincheon clearly had no idea that Namgung Myeong had run away from the patriarch position.
The problem was that while Dang Mujin knew the backstory and kept his mouth shut, the Three-Eyed One and Jang Ilnam knew nothing about the Namgung family's situation.
Since the two looked ready to start gossiping about Namgung Myeong's whereabouts any moment, Dang Mujin hurriedly changed the subject.
"Oh, right. I came to check if you had any internal injuries, sir. May I examine your condition?"
To treat a martial artist, Dang Mujin first had to channel his internal energy into them.
But this was no light matter. Allowing Dang Mujin's internal energy to seep into one's body meant entrusting your life to his hands, even if just for a moment.
External threats are easy enough to block, but a small attack from within is hard to defend against.
Yet Namgung Jincheon nodded readily.
"I leave it to you."
Dang Mujin channeled his internal energy and lightly scanned Namgung Jincheon's eight extraordinary meridians.
Namgung Jincheon's condition was remarkably stable, unlike someone who had just fainted and woken up.
Dang Mujin withdrew his energy and replied,
"Your condition is good."
"Is that so? I figured there'd be at least something wrong."
Had he missed something? Thinking that, Dang Mujin asked back.
"Is there anything specific bothering you?"
"My body feels stiff. Like my abdomen, joints, and meridians are all clogged with grease."
"...I didn't sense anything like that."
Namgung Jincheon didn't find Dang Mujin's answer strange.
"It's fine. I just asked on the off chance. It's not a problem with my body. I'll recover my martial prowess once I slowly clean out the gunk."
"Recover your martial prowess?"
At Dang Mujin's question, the Three-Eyed One answered.
"Dang Mujin. Do you remember when Namgung Jincheon and I met before?"
"Yes."
It was the day Namgung Myeong lost his left arm.
Suddenly, the current sight of Namgung Jincheon and the Three-Eyed One sitting peacefully across from each other felt incredibly alien. From Namgung Jincheon's perspective, wasn't the Three-Eyed One the enemy who crushed his son's arm?
'No, Namgung Jincheon isn't free from responsibility for Namgung Myeong's left arm either.'
The Three-Eyed One's words interrupted Dang Mujin's thoughts.
"The Namgung Jincheon back then was stronger than he is now."
"Yes?"
Namgung Jincheon gave an embarrassed smile.
"It's nothing surprising. Rust forms on an unmaintained sword, and people rust too if they sit idle. I was holed up in the Namgung family for so long without a proper opponent—it's only natural. Though not enough to lose to Myeong, of course."
Dang Mujin glanced at the Three-Eyed One. There was no change in his expression. He seemed to agree with Namgung Jincheon. Did that mean Namgung Jincheon had deliberately yielded to Namgung Myeong?
Namgung Jincheon continued.
"Dang family head. Since the topic's come up, how about a quick spar? I've caused you trouble, so I'd like to offer some small help in return."
"I'm not in a position to spar. I use hidden weapons, not a sword."
"Walking the path of martial arts is the same regardless of the weapon. At the very least, you won't feel like you've wasted time. Finding sparring partners isn't easy, so why not go all out and show your skills?"
Namgung Jincheon's words were incredibly tempting. Just as he said, Dang Mujin desperately needed a sparring partner.
Unlike a sword that can be swung without an edge, a flying wheel can't have its edge dulled. Blunting it makes control difficult from the start.
Moreover, unlike a sword, a flying wheel can't be stopped abruptly, so Dang Mujin couldn't request a spar without certainty the opponent could block it.
Due to these complicated circumstances, Dang Mujin hadn't been able to ask his three friends for a spar.
It was dangerous, sure, but asking friends for a spar also meant admitting they were above him. Dang Mujin didn't want to acknowledge that he was subtly falling behind.
The Three-Eyed One was a bad matchup for a spar, and Jang Ilnam disliked sparring, making it awkward to ask him. In this situation, Namgung Jincheon was the perfect sparring partner.
Dang Mujin clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed his head slightly.
"I'd appreciate it."
"Let's go outside."
That was the end of the talk. The four of them stepped out of the house.
The Three-Eyed One and Jang Ilnam sat comfortably on the porch, while Namgung Jincheon and Dang Mujin took up positions at a suitable distance.
"Let's begin."
This wasn't a sneak attack meant to take a life, so Dang Mujin first showed Namgung Jincheon his flying wheel, then tossed one into the sky.
Namgung Jincheon's gaze followed the flying wheel. He thought the wheel, sparkling occasionally in the moonlight, was incomparably beautiful. It was as if Dang Mujin had added one more star to the sky.
Contrary to Namgung Jincheon's expectation that Dang Mujin would catch and toss it repeatedly, the flying wheel didn't return to his hand but circled the sky like a bird.
Riding the night winds, the flying wheel adjusted its altitude. Whenever it seemed about to fall, Dang Mujin used his internal energy to lift it back up.
Namgung Jincheon evaluated it.
"...Impressive."
"I'll continue."
Three more flying wheels rose from Dang Mujin's hand. The four flying wheels floating in the night sky gazed down at Namgung Jincheon like four eyes. Namgung Jincheon unwittingly smiled.
Even if the skill level varied, swordsmen were common even in the Namgung family.
But it had been over twenty years since the last righteous-demonic war that he encountered someone wielding hidden weapons. And even among the evil faction warriors back then, none handled such a unique hidden weapon.
A thrill ran through his entire body after so long.
"Let's begin."
With those words, Dang Mujin's fingers moved complexly, directing the flying wheels. Three of the four lowered their altitude, simultaneously targeting Namgung Jincheon's shoulders, waist, and legs.
Namgung Jincheon took a short breath and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet.
The Namgung family's footwork: Azure Firmament Eight Shadows.
It wasn't particularly fast or fierce. Yet even though Namgung Jincheon's knees didn't point in other directions, the direction his body moved changed constantly.
Unless you had trained in Azure Firmament Eight Shadows yourself, there was no way to predict Namgung Jincheon's next step.
However, the flying wheel pursued him like a bird with a mind of its own.
Soon, two flying wheels grazed past Namgung Jincheon, and one lightly clashed with his sword before flying back into the sky on its path.
Just a light touch between the flying wheel and sword made his wrist tingle.
'Surprisingly heavy.'
Namgung Jincheon gauged the position of the still-descending fourth flying wheel. The unseen fourth one bothered him more than the three aggressively attacking ones.
But the fourth flying wheel merely spun lazily overhead, showing no sign of attacking. Namgung Jincheon was inwardly impressed.
'It's not just the weapon that's unique. He knows how to fight smart.'
Simultaneous attacks from four flying wheels might seem the trickiest, but in reality, it wasn't.
The human mind feels immense pressure when it must constantly track something out of sight. From Namgung Jincheon's experience, fights became much harder when someone was lurking beyond his vision.
The three flying wheels tangled chaotically, probing for openings. Namgung Jincheon occasionally reached out to snatch one or swung his sword to slam one into the ground.
But as if anticipating Namgung Jincheon's intentions, Dang Mujin didn't let him take a single wheel.
'Indeed. Skilled in numbers games and quick on the uptake.'
Finally, a thin line of blood appeared on Namgung Jincheon's forearm.
It was just a shallow graze that barely cut the skin, but Dang Mujin saw victory in that wound.
Dang Mujin thought,
'If I'd used poison, it would have been a meaningful hit.'
Poisoning even once would make the rest easy. Essentially half the victory secured.
However, just as Dang Mujin hadn't used poison, Namgung Jincheon hadn't gone all out either.
Namgung Jincheon's aura shifted, and his footwork changed. Instead of the light and agile Azure Firmament Eight Shadows, he now used steps that felt somewhat heavy.
For the first time since the spar began, Namgung Jincheon spoke.
"Come on, try dodging this."
Dang Mujin busily deployed his lightness skill while maneuvering the flying wheels. But after Namgung Jincheon's aura changed, his flying wheels couldn't find an opening.
If they got close, it felt like Namgung Jincheon would snatch the wheel or swing his sword to knock it down.
And that wasn't the end. Soon, Dang Mujin realized something eerie.
No matter how hard he used his lightness skill to widen the distance, he couldn't pull away from Namgung Jincheon. Even though his Cloud-Wandering Steps were faster than Namgung Jincheon's pace. It was downright ghostly.
'What the hell is this?'
Not fast, but ever so slowly, the gap between Namgung Jincheon and Dang Mujin narrowed.
Only then did Dang Mujin realize what footwork Namgung Jincheon was using. Slow but surely dominating space, eventually reaching the opponent—the Namgung family's footwork embodying the essence of the blunt sword, Infinite Steps.
Knowing the footwork only made it more disconcerting.
'Namgung Myeong's Infinite Steps weren't like this...!'
The distance to Namgung Jincheon kept closing endlessly.
Dang Mujin's knees trembled faintly.
His mind knew Namgung Jincheon wouldn't harm him. There was no reason for him to kill Dang Mujin, and if he did, he couldn't escape with the Three-Eyed One and Jang Ilnam around.
But his body felt differently. His body screamed that Namgung Jincheon was trying to kill him. His breath grew ragged. An inexplicable exhilaration enveloped Dang Mujin.
Dang Mujin leaped onto the roof, circled the building.
He ran in straight lines, zigzagged frantically to create distance. But the result didn't change. Without deviation even for a moment, Namgung Jincheon drew closer.
Finally, the distance between Namgung Jincheon and Dang Mujin narrowed to eight steps.
Dang Mujin tossed up a fifth flying wheel. He lacked confidence in handling five at once, but now was the time to do it.
The moment their steps closed to three, Dang Mujin's complexly moving left and right hands clenched tight.
At the same time, the five flying wheels sharply changed direction, targeting Namgung Jincheon's back. If he didn't react properly, it could kill him. Dang Mujin had half-forgotten this was just a spar.
And when the five flying wheels reached within a zhang of Namgung Jincheon's back, he spun around sharply and thrust his sword.
The trajectory of Namgung Jincheon's single sword stroke pierced through the five circles drawn by the five flying wheels.
The five flying wheels caught on Namgung Jincheon's sword rattled loudly.
The moment victory and defeat were decided in the spar.
Clap clap clap—the sound of Jang Ilnam applauding in admiration rang out.
But Namgung Jincheon didn't stop. He took one more step forward and swung the sword with the five flying wheels caught on it toward Dang Mujin.
Namgung Jincheon's sword headed for the top of Dang Mujin's head. Dang Mujin's eyes widened.
Two thoughts flashed simultaneously.
'A killing blow?'
'No. He wouldn't use a killing blow. It's just a feint.'
Dang Mujin glared at Namgung Jincheon's sword with wide eyes.
But the sword's speed didn't slow.
It had to stop now. It had to stop even now.
Yet Namgung Jincheon's sword still didn't stop.
Finally, the moment Namgung Jincheon's sword touched Dang Mujin's hair, Dang Mujin's eyes shifted to Namgung Jincheon's back.
The Three-Eyed One and Jang Ilnam had risen from their seats and were racing toward him like mad. They had sensed something wrong too. His heart sank.
It hit him anew that this was a friendly spar, yet Namgung Jincheon wielded a real sword, not a wooden one.
'...I was careless!'
Death approaches so suddenly, without warning.
In the instant death approached, a life-flashing-before-his-eyes montage raced through Dang Mujin's mind.
Memories of running errands to the apothecary. The strange physician Yi Chung, met by chance and forming a bond. Connections formed almost by accident. Friends. Dan Seol-yeong, Mok Wan-ah, the kids. His father. And even his own face faintly reflected on the blade.
Beyond the long montage, Dang Mujin arrived in pitch-black emptiness.
A space devoid of even the tiniest light.
Dang Mujin realized. This must be the moment of enlightenment his friends described, the gateway to the absolute peak realm.
In a way, it was a simple situation.
Find the path, and he might survive. Fail to find it, and he dies.
But like his friends, Dang Mujin naturally believed he could find the path too.
Dang Mujin frantically searched for clues, roaming the paths madly. Mobilizing all five senses except sight, flattening himself to scour the ground.
Like Hong Geolgae, thoughts of taking a wrong path filled his mind. Better to advance to the next realm that way than die!
Dang Mujin wandered the frozen-time space for what felt like ages.
He couldn't gauge how much time passed. A split second, or perhaps a full decade trapped in darkness.
And finally, Dang Mujin stood dazed, a hollow expression on his face.
There was no path. Nowhere at all.
Dang Mujin looked ahead, to the sides, upward.
Just like the ground he'd scoured before, nothing.
Dang Mujin's legs gave out, and he sat blankly in place.
*
His senses returned. The night sky reappeared, his ragged breath felt real, and the figures of Jang Ilnam and the Three-Eyed One rushing over came into view.
And Namgung Jincheon.
He looked up. Namgung Jincheon's sword hovered, lightly touching his crown, stopped there.
Namgung Jincheon had driven Dang Mujin to the brink of death, then halted the blade with near-divine skill.
His scalp stung. As expected, the blade had nicked his skin. Blood trickled from his forehead to his eyelids.
Namgung Jincheon asked in a low voice.
"Dang family head. What did you see?"
Dang Mujin bowed his head not in fear of death, but in frustration.
"...Nothing. There was nothing at all."