Proof of the Legacy
It took several days to travel from the Anhui branch to Henan.
During that time, I cut back on sleep to work on the old man's homework, all while racking my brain.
There was only one reason.
I need an excuse.
A situation I would inevitably face once we arrived in Henan.
I had to come up with an answer to how I became the successor of the Sword Saint.
It was only natural. I couldn't exactly go around proudly announcing that I could see ghosts, and...
The culprit might be among them.
The incident surrounding the death of Yu Cheongil, that damn old man.
At this point, I had no idea who was behind it.
Furthermore...
The one who leaked the information to Cheon Ui-jin.
The bastard who leaked the information in Henan about Yu Cheongil's cherished sword.
There's a high probability that person is among them.
If so, I had to treat everyone here as a potential enemy.
I don't know who's on my side. I'm not even sure if I have any allies to begin with.
In a situation like this, the things I could say were limited.
So, what was the solution? It was simple.
Lie from start to finish.
Since I couldn't trust anyone, this was the right approach from the beginning.
To achieve this, the old man and I spent day and night aligning our stories.
And what was the story we came up with?
"...You found a book inside a cave?"
"That is correct."
In times like this, it was best not to overcomplicate things. The most cliché story was the way to go.
"When I was young, I fell off a cliff. Inside that cliff, there was a cave."
"And in that place... there was something left behind by him?"
"Exactly."
It was a common trope. Finding the traces of a legendary master of the past while on the brink of death.
Inheriting his legacy and martial arts to become his successor.
It sounded absurd, but nothing worked better than this.
However...
"Nonsense."
One of the old men nearby spoke to me, his brow furrowed.
"How could the traces of the former Sect Leader possibly be found in Yoryeong? I cannot believe this."
It was a reasonable point and a valid suspicion. Indeed, it made no sense for that old man's traces to be in Yoryeong, but...
"Then does it make sense that his sword was found in Anhui?"
I had my own counterargument.
Since his greatsword, Man-wol, had suddenly turned up in Anhui, my story—no matter how absurd—couldn't be easily dismissed.
At the same time...
Four.
I scanned the people around me for any strange reactions.
I looked for anyone showing even the slightest anomaly, like shifting their gaze or clearing their throat.
"Even if we set the greatsword aside, you claim that because Moonlight was found in Anhui, the former Sect Leader's traces could also be in Yoryeong? You are trying to mislead us by conflating two separate matters. The point is, Young Master Bang, your story simply does not make sense."
I stared at the old man silently for a moment before asking.
"May I ask your name?"
"...What?"
The old man's beard twitched, clearly displeased by my question.
"Well, I wanted to address you properly, but I don't know your title or name. I apologize if I offended you."
"...Hmph. I am Mun Seong-seok. I serve as an elder..."
"Ah, you are Senior Mun, the Heavenly Shadow Saber! Please forgive this junior for not recognizing such an illustrious senior."
"Hmph..."
The corners of the old man's mouth twitched upward at my words. He seemed pleased to be recognized.
Of course I recognized you. I memorized all your names, even if I didn't know your faces.
Before setting out, I had memorized the names and titles of all the high-ranking members of Cheongwol Gate, including the elders.
"Then, Elder Mun, what is the reason you find it so hard to believe?"
Perhaps because I had recognized him, the Heavenly Shadow Saber's voice sounded a bit gentler.
"The primary reason, as I mentioned, is that it was found in Yoryeong, a place with absolutely no connection to the former Sect Leader. And the second is..."
The Heavenly Shadow Saber hesitated for a moment before adding.
"Knowing his personality, he is not the type of person to leave such things behind."
At his words, the people around him nodded in agreement.
"Oh..."
This was so convincing that even I found myself nodding. It really didn't seem like something that old man would do.
Before the sharp-witted ghost could lose his temper, I spoke up quickly.
"If that is how you saw him, Elder, then it may well be true. Since I never met him, I wouldn't know about his personality, but..."
There was a massive loophole in his argument.
"I have inherited his true teachings."
"How can you prove..."
"My eyes and the cultivation method inside my body are the proof."
"..."
The Heavenly Shadow Saber fell silent at my words.
Whether Yu Cheongil had any connection to Yoryeong, or what his personality was like...
Even if they nitpicked every detail and refused to believe it...
In the end, there was only one thing I needed to say.
"The book contained everything he left behind. The process of cultivating the Cheongwol Mind Method, and even the martial arts forms that could be executed using it. Everything was written there."
"Heh."
"To think..."
What were they going to do if they didn't believe me? No matter how skeptical they were, my body was the living proof.
At this point, all I had to do was push through with sheer audacity.
I read it and learned it. You are all looking right at me.
Are you saying my Moon Eyes are fake?
When I spoke with that underlying implication, everyone around me fell into a heavy silence.
Right then...
"Then..."
The man who had remained silent until now finally spoke. It was the current Sect Leader, the Moon Fairy Sword, Cheon Seong-hwa.
He looked at me with his characteristically cold eyes and asked.
"Where is that book now?"
Where was the book I had found?
I had already prepared an answer for this as well.
"I memorized it completely and burned it, in accordance with my master's final wishes."
"...What?!"
"You... you burned something so precious?!"
The reaction to its destruction was explosive. A moment ago, they were furious because they couldn't believe me; now, they were angry for an entirely different reason.
"No, how could you burn something so invaluable..."
"I cannot comprehend this."
The rising anger in the room was instantly silenced by the Moon Fairy Sword's intervention.
"I cannot comprehend it, nor can I easily believe it."
I looked at the Moon Fairy Sword, who spoke in a firm yet calm tone.
His eyes were locked onto mine.
Wow, this is incredibly suffocating.
I feel like I'm going to throw up.
Just looking at him made cold sweat break out. What was this pressure? It was gradually taking over my body, making it hard to breathe.
The old man's words snapped me back to reality.
Ah, so this was the aura pressure exuded by a true master.
I couldn't believe how unpleasant and heavy it felt.
I could clearly feel his intent to suppress me by any means.
Damn it.
I glared back and endured. I couldn't afford to break here.
Forcing myself to hold on, clutching onto my consciousness with everything I had...
Yu Cheongil let out a chuckle of disbelief.
Why wouldn't I endure it?
It felt like I was going to die, but it was manageable.
"...What is it that you cannot believe?"
As I spoke, forcing my trembling voice to steady, a strange light flickered in the Moon Fairy Sword's eyes.
At that moment, I felt the pressure on my body ease slightly.
"If it was only left in a book, it means you merely learned the words."
"Yes."
"Were the verses and explanations in it precise?"
It was an unexpected question. However, I did not hesitate to answer.
"No. It was a mess. I've never seen such a disaster of a text in my life."
Yu Cheongil ground his teeth in annoyance, but fortunately, the reaction from the others was positive.
I think my words actually lent a bit of credibility to my story.
...If they agree that his writing was a mess, how on earth did this old man live his life?
I had my doubts, but that wasn't what was important right now.
"Then, am I to understand that you not only mastered the mind method from those messy writings, but also opened your Moon Eyes?"
Ah.
Hearing the Moon Fairy Sword's words, I finally understood what was bothering him.
The old man laughed mockingly. It was incredibly annoying.
There was only one reason he was laughing like that.
He predicted this.
It meant his prediction had hit the mark.
Indeed, Yu Cheongil had anticipated this very reaction, and...
"...What is the problem with that?"
He had also given me the solution.
The problem was...
"Because it is something that simply does not happen."
I wasn't sure if his solution would actually work.
Doubt and anxiety crept in, but since we had already agreed on this, it was too late to change plans.
I recalled the plan.
"It's nothing major. Just look as dumbfounded as possible."
The plan I had devised with Yu Cheongil.
"A dumbfounded look?"
"Yes. Like you have absolutely no idea what kind of nonsense they're spouting. That kind of look."
"What does that even look like?"
"You know, the one you always make. Your face naturally looks like that anyway, so just play to your strengths."
"That's an insult, isn't it? I'm pretty sure you just insulted me."
It was a strange conversation, but Yu Cheongil's eyes had been dead serious.
So, I decided to give it a try.
With the most dumbfounded expression I could muster.
"Huh?"
I looked at the Moon Fairy Sword and spoke.
"...Why wouldn't I be able to do that? Can you not do it, Sect Leader?"
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.
Not a single sound could be heard. It felt as if everyone was holding their breath.
After what felt like an eternity of uncomfortable silence...
"Ha."
The Moon Fairy Sword suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
And it was loud.
"Haha... Hahaha!"
Crazy bastard. Did I screw up?
Am I going to die here? It wasn't a normal laugh. The tension in the room rose steadily.
What do I do?
Did I anger him? I couldn't die like this. Was there an escape route? As I was cautiously assessing the situation...
"...Haha... I see. If that is the case, then it is possible."
What did he mean by that? I really wanted to ask, but I was too terrified to open my mouth.
Then...
"Yes... Then, Young Master Bang..."
"Y-Yes?"
The Moon Fairy Sword asked me.
"If you are so confident, can you prove it?"
"Pardon?"
So suddenly? I thought he would interrogate me further, but he was straight-up asking for proof.
I was momentarily taken aback, but it wasn't as if I hadn't prepared for this.
"I do not know what kind of proof you require of me, but..."
I took a breath and met the Moon Fairy Sword's gaze.
"If you wish, I will gladly do so."
A smile played on the lips of the Moon Fairy Sword as he looked at me.
There was an unsettling quality to that smile.
Although the smile made me uneasy, I wasn't overly worried.
Because...
I have a ghost on my side.
He had a terrible personality, but he was a cheat code in situations like this. That was why I could remain calm even in the face of this challenge.
However...
...What?
I definitely hadn't anticipated this.