Chapter 141 - The Black Flame Dragon Meets the Monster of Manseogo (5)

"Hehehe..."

Geumpyo laughed as if he had lost his mind.

"Hehehehe..."

Beside him, Eunho also laughed as if he had lost his mind.

"Hehe."

Dongryong laughed along while looking at his older brothers.

Sprawled flat on his back, Eunho looked at the shocked Saryeon and asked.

"How was it? Senior Sister."

"..."

Having just watched the demonstration of the new sword array by the Geum-eun-dong trio, Saryeon still could not close her gaping mouth.

"... What in the world is this?"

"It is the White Tiger Lethal Sword Array."

"Lethal?"

She knew that the skills of the three Geum-eun-dong Brothers had made leaps and bounds after going through the standard exam.

But the sword array they had just shown her completely surpassed her expectations.

"We have been doing some research on the sword forms Dongryong uses."

At Eunho's words, Saryeon's gaze turned to Dongryong.

The Heavenly Slaughter Star, was it?

Fortunately, she had heard that he had suppressed his murderous nature through the Taiyi True Scripture and persistent mental imagery training.

And they said that Geumpyo and Eunho had learned to follow the lethal sword forms created by the Heavenly Slaughter Star's innate talent...

"On top of that, we added the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art."

The sword array the three of them had deployed was clearly just the White Tiger Sword Array, but the destructive power they displayed was not something that could be seen in the same White Tiger Sword Array.

"..."

One could guess its destructive power just by looking around the sparring grounds.

The marble floor was shattered, and the wooden training dummies were smashed to pieces.

She had never heard of such destructive power existing in a sword array executed by three people.

"... But you're saying this isn't the end?"

Eunho answered triumphantly to the dumbfounded Saryeon's question.

"Senior Sister, did you not say you have also entered the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art?"

Saryeon nodded.

After entering the academy, she had learned the Taiyi Sword Emperor's martial scripture, but through the marrow-cleansing she received from the Divine Sword and her own painstaking efforts, she was recently able to manifest a single blade of the Ten Thousand Swords using the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art, which could be considered the supreme secret of the Taiyi Sword Emperor.

"The four of us will deploy the sword array together with you, Senior Sister."

"... Will it be alright? I've never synchronized a sword array with you guys before..."

"In the first place, the White Tiger Sword Array is designed so that even people who have learned different swordsmanship can seamlessly become one. Furthermore, haven't we learned the same martial arts?"

Nodding at Eunho's words, a sudden question came to Saryeon's mind.

"But why do I necessarily need to join? You three have spent a long time working together."

"Because if you join us, Senior Sister, the lethal sword array will become even stronger."

"It becomes even stronger?"

The White Tiger Sword Array had a stronger effect in defense than in offense.

What were they planning to use it for by increasing the offensive power of such a sword array?

"We intend to use it on the Eldest Senior Brother."

"Eh?"

"Has the Eldest Senior Brother not worried greatly over us junior disciples all this time? Shouldn't we take this opportunity to take him down a notch and prove that he has no need to worry about us?"

"... Are you perhaps planning to get revenge?"

"..."

That look of being caught red-handed.

Dongryong was so gentle and kind that he wouldn't do such a thing, but Geumpyo and Eunho were so mischievous that they frequently got beaten by Jin Sowoon.

Was it really because of that they had been dedicating themselves so fiercely to their training all this time?

"... Of course not. Revenge against the Eldest Senior Brother, who is like the sky to us? We do not have such intentions in the slightest. This is all to show him how much we have improved."

Somehow, every single word coming out of his mouth felt like a lie.

... Still, whatever their intentions were, being able to land a blow on him didn't seem too bad.

"If we're going to land a blow, it's better to do it properly."

"Pardon?"

"Where should I position myself?"

Hong Saryeon began to burn with an enthusiasm for training that she hadn't felt in a long time.

* * *

I brought the book the Sword Demon was looking for from Manseogo.

The Sword Demon read that book over and over again.

He read it while shedding tears, and sometimes turned the pages with a stiff expression.

After reading the book numerous times like that, the Sword Demon prepared to go look for them right that instant, and I desperately held him back.

"... Just where do you think that is for you to leave like this?"

The location Seop Sojeong had left behind was Jilin Province.

It was a place one had to pass through Beijing and Liaoning Province to reach.

"And you said it's been five years since you received the letter. How can you be certain they are still residing there?"

"If they are not there, I will just have to start searching from there again."

"What if this is fake?"

"..."

"Are you going to turn the whole world upside down searching?"

Of course, when looking at the contents of the book or the letter, there were so many secrets written that only the two of them knew, so it couldn't possibly be fake, but even that was uncertain.

Furthermore, the Sword Demon had many enemies.

The man that both the Orthodox faction and the Underworld viewed as a thorn in their side was the Sword Demon himself.

Someone might have played a trick to stop the Sword Demon's endless sparring journey, where he obstinately sought out people's residences to force spars even when they refused.

"Let's send someone to check first. And if they have moved somewhere else, it would be better to find them through people rather than you searching for them directly. Also, didn't you agree to teach me martial arts?"

"Are you telling me to hire the Beggars' Sect? But I don't have any money..."

"... I will pay for it. Think of it as paying my tuition."

Thus, while confirming Seop Sojeong's existence, my personal martial arts training with the Sword Demon began.

"Who told you to wrap your Sword Qi like that? Are you trying to use your Sword Qi as a substitute for a torch?"

"Sword Qi does not need to be big. No, in fact, the smaller it is, the better."

"What? If the size is small, you'll be pushed back by momentum? Why are you so obsessed with size? Are you compensating for a weakness somewhere else?"

"Sword Qi is density. You wrap the sword in Sword Qi to increase its density. If you can increase the density, the form does not matter in size."

The Sword Demon's training was rough and often scratched at my pride, but there were definitely many practical teachings useful for actual combat.

As it was the first time I was learning from a proper martial arts master since Hall Leader Kang Chaeseok, I began to resolve all the parts I had been curious about and lacking in through the Sword Demon.

The Sword Demon interpreted and answered my questions based on Orthodox martial arts with his own original insights, and those answers were so truly concise and simple that it made me naturally burst into laughter.

"Forms and moves, you ask? Of course they are important. But what use are they if you cannot use them in real combat? Even so, I am not telling you to discard forms and moves."

"What? You ask if you need to discard martial moves for the next stage of enlightenment? You crazy bastard! Have you reached some transcendent stage or something?"

"Sword Force, you ask? Didn't I tell you not to fixate on Sword Force! God damn it, are you possessed by a ghost who died because they couldn't learn Sword Force in their past life? Look at those bastards from the Cheongang Sect. The ones using Hand Force and Fist Force get their hands and feet cleanly severed with a single fast sword. It means practicing Force for a hundred days is useless."

"Sword Qi must be completed. Only when Sword Qi is completed does Sword Force follow. Sword Force created without even completing Sword Qi is nothing more than a scrap of paper. ... Do my words sound like bullshit to you? Do you want to clash your Sword Force against my Sword Qi right now?"

Of course, because his personality was so fiery and abrasive, it was not easy to receive his teachings.

Still, we grew close enough to spend all day training together while staying in the hut, with no more need for me to commute to and from the dormitories.

Then one day.

While training with the Sword Demon, I felt something strange and slowly lowered the Black Dragon Sword.

The Sword Demon's brow furrowed deeply.

"We are still training. Raise your sword."

"That move you just showed me, isn't that your exclusive martial art?"

"Oho, so you have eyes enough to instantly recognize an excellent sword technique?"

Haa, whenever he speaks, he just has to...

"I informed you last time as well, but I have quite a good eye and a good memory."

"Puhaha. Even if you memorize my sword forms, do you think you can copy them?"

"..."

"It is the White Moon Heaven-Subduing Three Forms."

I know it well.

Because in the future, the Sword Demon would unite the Underworld Murim with that sword technique.

"If you can steal it, try stealing it."

An immense confidence that I would never be able to steal it.

Just as he said, I faced the White Moon Heaven-Subduing Three Forms every day, but I couldn't even properly understand the first form.

"Why is my Ten Thousand Swords being shattered by a tree branch not even wrapped in Sword Qi?"

"The profound secret of the first form is extreme speed. What do you think is needed to be the fastest?"

"Strength?"

"Nothing is needed."

Didn't he clearly just ask me what was needed?

"..."

"You can only be the fastest when you are in the lightest state. A speed that nothing can catch up to cannot be stopped by anything, can it?"

"But didn't you clearly clash with the Ten Thousand Swords I deployed?"

"Because I blocked its path before the Ten Thousand Swords was completed. Didn't I say that Sword Qi is density? An uncompleted sword is nothing but a sandcastle that can crumble at any time. Your Ten Thousand Swords is the same."

By the time a month passed and news regarding Seop Sojeong, whom we had sent people to search for in Jilin Province, returned, I still ultimately could not shatter the Sword Demon's first form.

"..."

The Sword Demon was staring intently at me as I prepared to read the letter delivered by Haomun.

"What does it say?"

"... I've only just opened it."

The Sword Demon swallowed his saliva, urging me as if telling me to hurry up and read the letter.

I shook my head and began to read the letter.

And.

"They say the two of them are currently residing in Liaoning Province."

At the news I relayed, the corners of the Sword Demon's eyes trembled faintly.

"Did they say... the two of them are the ones I am looking for?"

"They say a mother and daughter with incredible beauty are living by tending to a slash-and-burn field."

"..."

I handed the information about Seop Sojeong to the Sword Demon, who had turned as stiff as a statue.

"In the end, I'm the only one who took a loss. I didn't even get to receive proper lessons."

The Sword Demon, who had been reading the letter while stiffly frozen, furrowed his brow heavily.

"You managed to draw out Sword Force anyway, didn't you!"

"Ah, of course that's true."

I had reached the realm of Sword Force that I had so desperately desired.

However, perhaps because I had seen the White Moon Heaven-Subduing Three Forms—which was basically his final profound secret—every day for the past month, I couldn't hide my feelings of regret even though I had finally drawn out the Sword Force I had so desired.

"You're going to go right away, aren't you?"

"..."

"Are you thinking of not going?"

"Seop Sojeong was the successor to the Hundred Flowers Palace. I do not know how to accept the story that such a person is living by tending to a slash-and-burn field."

The Sword Demon, who hadn't even blinked an eye in the face of the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art that I had deployed with all my might, slumped his shoulders as if bearing a heavy burden.

"As someone from the Hundred Flowers Palace, she gave birth to an Underworld member's child, so she is living like a sinner. That's all."

"What!"

"Isn't that an undeniable fact?"

"..."

"Anyway, I've been thinking about it too. Why did Senior Seop not tell you her location right away, but instead make you wander around Manseogo, Senior Sword Demon?"

"..."

"In the end, wasn't she asking for a decision?"

"A decision?"

If she wanted to make him take responsibility for the child, she could have just appeared before him with the child.

If not, there would have been no need to inform the Sword Demon about the child's existence at all.

But Seop Sojeong specifically presented a complicated and difficult path.

"Since she abandoned her affiliation as a member of the Hundred Flowers Palace, I think she was asking if you could also abandon the karma you bear."

"..."

"Wasn't it her way of saying that if you want to continue living as the Sword Demon in the future, you shouldn't appear before them?"

The Sword Demon's eyelids trembled faintly, as if he had gained some enlightenment.

"... It seems your words are correct."

"Do you still have lingering attachments to the name of Sword Demon?"

"..."

The Sword Demon looked down at his own hands.

A momentary silence flowed.

Before long, he shook his head.

His face was incredibly unburdened, bearing an expression without a single ounce of lingering attachment.

I was quite surprised that the Sword Demon could make such a pure expression.

* * *

"How is it? Does it seem to fit well?"

Smoothing out his clothes, the Sword Demon shook his shoulders several times, perhaps feeling awkward.

"It seems a bit flashy."

The clothes the Sword Demon was currently wearing were garments I had personally asked the head maid to make.

It was an ordinary robe with an appropriate mix of white and blue, but for the Sword Demon, who had never cared about clothing his entire life, even this seemed to feel quite flashy.

"You have to wear at least this much so as not to stand out to people."

"I think it would be better to just run there."

"You could do that in places without people, but wouldn't you stand out when passing through crowded areas?"

"Is that so..."

The Sword Demon had now completely stopped his act as an old hunchback.

Having fully released both his Bone-Reversing Art and his disguise technique, he merely looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.

"This is a horse pass you can use at the stables operated by Wangga Manor. And this is Haomun's black tag; if you hang it on your waist when you need help, someone from Haomun will come looking for you."

"... I am not a child. I can find my way on my own perfectly well..."

"Oh, please don't even say that. How could I trust someone who searched through the library starting from the very first aisle just to find a book Senior Seop hid?"

"..."

Taking the horse pass and the black tag, the Sword Demon stared blankly at me.

"Why are you treating me so well?"

I didn't know what the Sword Demon's future actions would be, but if the Orthodox-Demonic Great War broke out, this man would undoubtedly appear in Jianghu once again.

For the sake of that time, I could endure this level of investment as much as needed.

"Still, aren't you my martial arts master? A disciple should take care of things like this."

"Hmph...! What do you mean 'disciple' with those kinds of skills... Don't go anywhere and say you learned a thing or two from me. I won't let it slide."

"Yes, yes."

I handed over a coin pouch.

"Try not to take out the gold ingots inside unless you really have to, and when you need to spend money, always use just the silver and copper coins..."

"Do you think I'm a half-wit?"

Shouting angrily, the Sword Demon checked the inside of the pouch once and then neatly tucked it into his robes.

"Once I leave, make sure to erase all traces of me left here."

"I was planning to do so anyway."

"And take this and throw it away as well."

The Sword Demon handed me a booklet and a wooden box that had been resting on the flat wooden bench.

"Were you still reading the treatise..."

While reading the book, I abruptly stopped my movements at the words entering my eyes.

Hundreds of characters lined up to explain three sword forms.

Along with that, there were the weaknesses of the sparring opponents he had faced throughout his entire life, and the things he had realized from those spars.

It was truly the entire essence of the Sword Demon packed entirely into a single booklet.

"Isn't this the White Moon Heaven-Subduing Three Forms?"

Without any answer, the Sword Demon merely gestured toward the wooden box with his head.

I quickly opened the wooden box.

*Pop. * Along with that sound, a clear fragrance reminiscent of a deep forest wafted up.

It was a pill possessing an extraordinary energy, no less potent than the Shaolin Sect's Lesser Restoration Pill I had taken in the past.

At the gifts I couldn't understand the reason for, I looked at him.

"... Aren't those things you need more than I do right now? Go ahead and become the Number One in the World just as you want."

How could he still remember a story from so long ago? The moment I was overwhelmed with emotion and about to tear up.

"Ah right, if you teach it to anyone as you please, you're dead meat."

My tears immediately retreated.

He was truly a man capable of ruining a perfect moment with a single sentence.

"Anyway, please accept a bow from your disciple."

I couldn't be his official disciple, but hadn't I inherited his true inheritance?

Even if I couldn't offer him nine bows, I had to at least give him three bows as part of basic human decency.

Freeze.

However, my body, which was trying to bow, wouldn't move.

I was entirely immobilized, as if my body had been subdued by an invisible qi.

As I looked at the Sword Demon in bewilderment, he spoke coldly.

"I have no intention of forming a master-disciple relationship with you, so there is no need for your bows."

"... Then, what if people ask where I learned these martial arts?"

"Just say you stole them."

"... Crazy."

Stealing martial arts from the Sword Demon? Who in the world would ever believe that?

"From the Sword Demon?"

"... How long are you going to keep calling me Sword Demon this, Sword Demon that, you punk? It has been a long time since I discarded that name."

It had only been two days since he said he would discard the name, though.

"... Then tell me your name at least."

"Baek Haegwang. That is my name."

Perhaps Baek Haegwang had spoken like that out of the thought that he didn't want me to inherit his karma.

Truly, he had an ugly mouth when speaking, but he was a person with a kind heart.

"What are you planning to do after meeting Senior Seop?"

"... I haven't thought that far."

"Are you seriously thinking of living by continuing to tend the slash-and-burn field?"

"No. But I don't know where to begin or what to do."

In the first place, both Baek Haegwang and Seop Sojeong were people who couldn't live an ordinary life even if they wanted to.

"Then how about establishing a sect this time?"

"A sect?"

"Neither of you can return to your original sect or clan, can you? Furthermore, one of you is from the Orthodox faction and the other is a notorious member of the Underworld. There is absolutely no place that would accept you."

"... A sect."

"If you create a strong sect, even a small one, it could become a comfortable place for Senior Seop and your daughter to reside. You can't just spend your whole lives hiding and running away forever, can you?"

The Sword Demon nodded repeatedly.

"But as you know, I have nothing. Establishing a sect isn't an easy task, and it's not like I have anyone following me..."

"I happen to know an excellent sponsor. How about living as a Guest in his sect for a while and preparing the foundation for founding your sect?"

"A sponsor?"

"You're not going to establish some rootless Underworld faction, are you?"

If it were the Sword Demon, he could walk into any Underworld gang right now, subdue them with force, and become their Gang Leader.

But what he desired was not the life of an Underworld member, but a protective shield to keep Seop Sojeong and his daughter safe.

Even if it was difficult, he had to build it up himself, piece by piece, from the very beginning.

"... But would that excellent person be willing to sponsor me?"

"The Sect Leader of the sect he belongs to is so generous that he is widely praised by the villagers, and since he is a disciple influenced by such a person, it is said that he also makes no distinction when associating with people. I am certain that he will become your sponsor."

"There was such a person...? Just who are you talking about?"

Who else could it be.

"It is Jin Sowoon of the Taiyi Sect. Who else?"

"..."

Excellent, he took the bait.

* * *

"Hehehe."

Even while writing a letter to my father, I couldn't hold back my laughter.

Baek Haegwang said he would make all his decisions after meeting Seop Sojeong.

I was just about to give my father a heads-up in advance for when that time came.

Obtaining the White Moon Heaven-Subduing Three Forms and the spiritual elixir was amazing, but if I had to pick the best part, it was that the Sword Demon might become a Guest of the Taiyi Sect.

And that was with Seop Sojeong and his daughter in tow.

Where else would the Sword Demon, who had built up such world-renowned infamy, have to lean on?

Moreover, establishing a sect was not something that could be done in a day or two; it was a task that would take the next few years.

In the end, with nowhere to go, the Sword Demon would end up residing at the Taiyi Sect and spending quite a long time there.

"Fufufu, if anyone messes with the Taiyi Sect, they're all screwed~. Because we have the Sword Demon as our Guest~."

As I was writing the letter like that, familiar voices reached my ears along with the sound of footsteps.

"Why does the Eldest Senior Brother look so happy?"

"It seems he's plotting something sinister; that's the expression he often makes when he's about to mess with someone."

I snapped at those guys.

"There's nothing you won't say to your Eldest Senior Brother, is there."

Seeing the Geum-eun-dong Brothers and Saryeon walking in, I was left speechless.

"... Just what on earth have you guys been doing?"

I could let it slide for the Geum-eun-dong guys since they were such unkempt boys anyway, but even Saryeon was in such a state that a beggar would have called her 'big brother'.

At that moment, Geumpyo, who had exchanged glances with his junior brothers and sister, stepped forward and spoke.

"Eldest Senior Brother. We have something to tell you."

"Speak."

"Let's spar!!"

Oho, you punks are finally committing insubordination.