Ruins (9)

65. Ruins (9)

Over the two days of drinking, the seasoned Cheonghwa Hall Master grew markedly close to Byeok-geum. Neither I nor Master were the type to actively mingle and communicate with the martial world, so he steadily worked on Byeok-geum as a conduit to the Yeongsan Sect. We too would have felt awkward coldly turning out guests who had stayed to celebrate us, so Byeok-geum smoothly handling them let us slip away with easy minds.

The immediate danger was dealt with. I had also grasped my own power. Now was the time for Yeongsan Sect to make a bold rise. To wrap up the matters I had postponed, I slowly began to speak before Master and everyone gathered together.

"Master. Now that the matter with the Black Heaven Association has been settled, it is time to revive Yeongsan Sect."

"Revive it?"

"This temporary dwelling has its own peculiar charm, but now we must build properly. We will raise a magnificent Great Clarity Palace, rebuild the burned library, and fill it from now on with Yeongsan Sect's secret manuals."

"Ah... yes."

"We have a thousand taels of gold. I intend to spend eight hundred taels rebuilding Yeongsan Sect."

"E-eight hundred taels of gold?! Th-that is eighty thousand taels of silver!!!"

"Master, the world has changed. White Tiger Fortress, the second-greatest force in Liaoning, has come under Yeongsan Sect, and we possess the achievements and strength of having repelled the Black Heaven Association. We are now Liaoning's second-largest martial power after the Murong Clan. If our headquarters does not match that position, we will be shamed before all under heaven."

"Th-the second sect in Liaoning?"

Lee Eun-ha's stunned face. Amid such peculiar people—Jeong-hyang, who hugged Cho-ryeong and fed her wild strawberries like an older sister without trying to understand what any of this meant, and Son Yeong, whose eyes had been stolen by Moon Immortal's sword so that she merely imagined that sword every day—Lee Eun-ha's astonishment came across as tremendously refreshing.

"The Yeongsan Sect grounds will have to be cleared for construction now, so the White Tiger Sect will take it upon themselves to build a few structures for our new temporary residence. However, proper, sturdy construction is beyond them, so we must bring in real carpenters and stonemasons from Shenyang."

"We finally have a large sum of money, but if we spend it all recklessly, won't we end up in trouble later?"

Master, who had lived her whole life in poverty, quietly asked with a worried face.

"We will still have two hundred taels of gold left."

"Junior Brother is right, Master. Buildings do not simply vanish. Even if we spend all our money and become poor again, there is a great difference between living in poverty inside this shabby hut and living in poverty inside a proper building. Summer will soon arrive, followed by the rainy season, and this temporary hut will not keep out the seasonal rains."

If we were going to be poor anyway, we might as well use it while we have it. Lee Eun-ha's opinions were always similar to mine.

"Moreover, three years from now, Senior Sister Son will earn a huge fortune once again, so you need not worry too much."

As I looked at Son Yeong and spoke to Master as if joking, Master agreed to my proposal, her hands even trembling lightly. Son Yeong, whose name had been mentioned, quietly asked me,

"Will I truly be able to do it? Will I be able to unfold that crescent-moon-like sword path with my own hands?"

"You must. Whether we like it or not, all of us must properly master martial arts from now on, because we must live as true martial artists. Moon Immortal herself chose you to inherit the Moonlit Divine Sword that captivated you, Senior Sister Son."

—If you fill my Senior Sister's head with nonsense, prepare yourself. With the Spirit Possession Art, I can put you not just inside a person, but inside a sow mating with a boar.—

Moon Immortal's sword quivered. After warning that wench, I handed the sword to Son Yeong, and Son Yeong closed her eyes and began a conversation of the heart with Moon Immortal.

Now, how should the rest be distributed?

—N-now... just a moment!!! That child. Who is that child!!!—

Geo Am's sudden outburst.

—Whom are you speaking of?—

—That exceedingly cute and pretty child!!—

—Everyone is cute and pretty.—

—Have your eyes been put in wrong? They are all beauties, certainly, but how in the world are they all cute? Who is that darling child chewing the fruit she is being fed right now!!—

Why was he suddenly getting excited?

—Senior Sister Cho? Her name is Cho-ryeong, and she is only twelve.—

—Cho... Cho-ryeong?! There is no mistake! That child is my descendant! My original name is Cho Ja-hyeok. Yes. That is right. That child looks exactly like my granddaughter!!!—

—You claimed to be a monk, yet you had a granddaughter?—

—I am an apostate who cast aside the precepts. That is not the point! Across one hundred and fifty years, I am meeting my descendant!!—

—About that... Senior Sister Cho was an abandoned baby left before Yeongsan Sect. She looked like a little bell lying in the grass, so they named her Cho-ryeong on the spot.—

—No! Impossible! Look at her! How could she be so adorable? Those round eyes, those dainty lips—how could this child not be a descendant of me, Geo Am?!—

Geo Am shouted like an excited beast. Heosan's sigh could be heard.

—You heard me? That child is mine. Let anyone who covets her be prepared to be crushed by me!!!—

—Hm. I have no interest in the child, but this should amuse you in your own way. Fine. Since we are all dead already, let us freely cross swords to our hearts' content!—

When Flame Emperor, provoked by Geo Am's words, reacted with pleasure, Heosan reined them in appropriately.

—I too find it intriguing, but let us save that as a future pleasure. But Geo Am. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Does your Vajra Art not befit such a small child?—

—Nonsense! Look at her. How adorable is that child? She is a treasure for the ages! If even the slightest blemish marred such a treasure, all under heaven should weep. Yeongmok and the rest of you are more than enough to bloody your hands. That child only needs to perfect the Vajra Body so she can never be hurt!!!—

Geo Am shouted with the excitement of an anime or idol fanatic.

—Would it not be better for her simply to avoid injury by dodging with the swift Moon Immortal Steps, or to deflect attacks with Heosan's Taiji Sword?—

—Nonsense! No matter how many years one studies evasion and counters, facing a superior master still means suffering grave injuries. Defense is different. It means that even against a master, she can at least be hurt less!
Yeongmok! Threaten me with sows or boars as much as you please, but that child absolutely must learn the Vajra Art!—

Geo Am's excited voice. There was certainly plenty of self-interest mixed in, but if it was the opinion of a grandmaster of martial learning, then it could not help being sounder than my own view. Well, Cho-ryeong not getting hurt was what I wished for as well, and in any case, the transmission of a martial art had to be done by those whose hearts suited each other, so he was an extremely well-suited instructor for Cho-ryeong.

"Senior Sister Cho, someone has asked to teach you as well."

When I handed the sword to the puzzled Cho-ryeong, she tilted her head.

"Grandpa? Yes. I don't like getting hurt either. Vajra Art? I'm sorry. I don't really know about it..."

Cho-ryeong held a whispered conversation. Now, three people remained. But only two spirits.

—Allow me to take charge of your Master and the other two Senior Sisters. If a woman learns the Flame Emperor's martial art, she becomes unable to bear ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠children. Moreover, though your Master and that pretty child possess no special aptitude, they have long polished the foundations of the Taiji Art and the Three Talents Sword. Wudang's sword was never meant solely for the exceptionally gifted. It protects the body and cultivates the Way, so it will suit them.—

Ah. Right. That damned Three Talents Sword and the Taiji Art would indeed prove helpful.

I handed Heosan's sword to Master. The last remaining spirit, the Flame Emperor, then addressed me in an indirect tone.

—Yeongmok. If I may ask, your internal energy. Could it all be eliminated?—

—What?! What do you mean?—

—It is an internal art founded on Shaolin principles, but it has deviated too far. Its internal energy will be extremely difficult to develop further. If you are to inherit my Flame Blossom Art, you should begin again properly from the foundations.—

—No. I am fine as I am. I have now defeated supreme masters such as the Black Heaven Association Leader, and all four of the Four Heroes of Dong-o are assisting me. Does someone with my poor aptitude truly need to train in martial arts?—

—You do. First, you still possess a weakness. No matter how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thoroughly the four of us protect you, your own internal energy is far too weak. You cannot even use Voice Transmission or strike acupoints, can you? You are not invincible under heaven. Even we cannot protect you from Poison Arts, Sonic Arts, or Mount Hua's Sword Fragrance.—

Ah... come to think of it, I was extremely vulnerable to things like attribute attacks or wide-area attacks.

—Second. Do not be overly confident. You must know this as well. In the past, the four of us barely achieved mutual ruin against a single man, Goshifa Lama. Furthermore, we are men of a past generation. Unrivaled martial learning is difficult to master, and so it is sometimes not passed down to later generations, yet martial learning always advances little by little through the efforts of countless martial artists. We were the strong of the Yuan era, yet no one knows whether we would be true strong warriors here in the Ming era today. The world is vast. It would not be strange at all if one day an enemy appeared against whom our strength alone cannot contend.—

Flame Emperor's sincere advice. A chill like cold ice spread through me, who had just won a comfortable victory against the Black Heaven Association Leader.

He was right. Enjoying the ease that came with strength was fine, but I could not become arrogant. If I truly learned the Flame Blossom Art, I would become fighting strength myself, and options such as fighting while the Flame Emperor possessed my body would become available.

—And third, this is why I first helped you. Heosan's Wudang still stands as a pillar of the Martial World. Though Geo Am's Mount Tai Sect has declined, its lineage survives. Moon Immortal's Moonlit Divine Sword was always passed to a single ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠successor and can scarcely be called a sect, but once your Senior Sister inherits it, even if she belongs to Yeongsan Sect, she will become the Moon Immortal of this age.
I, however, failed to protect my own school. I could only watch my junior brothers and disciples die. The Flame Blossom Sect, descended from the Five Elements Sect—you have surely never heard its name even once. That regret is unbearable.—

Profound sorrow came through his voice. Perhaps I could feel it exactly because of our connection. He had awkwardly lied that his lingering attachment after death was his inability to train and fight. His deepest regret was that he had failed to pass his magnificent martial art to the disciples of the school he loved. Once I understood that, I was not shameless enough to ignore the Flame Emperor's true wish.

—I understand. I briefly mistook your strength for my own and grew arrogant. Refusing an unrivaled martial art was truly unconscionable. But Senior, will it really be all right? My aptitude is complete garbage.—

—What does that matter? I find it enviable. If your aptitude is dull, does that not make each achievement taste all the sweeter?—

I knew it. Unexpectedly, the person most like the Flame Emperor was the training fanatic Son Yeong.

—Come to think of it, I have never seen you train in martial arts. Surely you do not dislike martial-arts training?—

—Why would I not? I honestly hate it, but if I want to live, I have no choice.—

—How fascinating. A martial artist who hates martial-arts training. Then again, you are not a martial artist but a Taoist adept who studies Taoist arts, are you?
Hm. What about this? Would you permit me to master the Flame Blossom Art through your body?—

—What?!—

—You can accumulate internal energy comfortably, while I enjoy the pleasure of training. Does that not benefit us both? Even if I taught you every oral formula and guided you personally, accumulating enough internal energy would take a very long time. If I circulate the qi myself, however, you can reach that point immediately. Of course, training without enlightenment will leave your swordsmanship lacking in subtlety, but you will at least possess sufficient internal energy. Will that not still leave you far better off than you are now?—

The Flame Emperor made the proposal in a suggestive tone. Naturally, I welcomed it. Perhaps common sense from my past life remained, because understanding martial principles had been brutally exhausting from the beginning. I had barely managed to learn even the easy martial arts of the Baek Clan Estate, so how incomprehensible would an unrivaled art such as the Flame Blossom Art be? I did not need subtle swordsmanship. If a crisis came, I could let the other three handle the offense while the Flame Emperor occupied my body.

And so an intensive extracurricular course in an unrivaled martial art began at Yeongsan Sect, as casually as a bargain sale.