Chapter 23. A Second-Rate Warrior Prepares to Soar
“He’s insane. He’s insane. He’s really not in his right mind. How can a person do something this insane?”
“Um…… Junior Sister…… Still, the adults are here too, and I’m your senior brother……”
“Senior brother, my foot! Are you really in your right mind? Or are you not? My goodness, grabbing a sword with your hand? If Great Hero Namgung San had pulled his sword out there… ugh…….”
Sa-ryeon shuddered, then began striking Jin So-un’s back over and over with her palm.
Seeing that, the elders and hall masters of Taeul Sect let out faint laughs.
Of course, there were some who did not.
Jin Tae-san and Hong Mun-gi.
Jin Tae-san, who had witnessed his son’s insane act, shouted thunderously.
“You foolish brat! Even in a martial duel fought with wooden swords, one does not grab a sword with his hand!”
The sinner could only keep his mouth shut.
On the other hand, the Sect Leader asked worriedly.
“Are you all right?”
“The physician said it was just a slight wound.”
Because he had grabbed a sword wrapped in sword qi with his hand, the wound had been torn raggedly and looked severe, but Jin So-un had also poured qi heavily into his left hand, so it was not a major wound.
“Ugh…….”
When Sa-ryeon examined the wound again with a worried look, Jin So-un added an explanation to ease her concern.
“It was all based on precise calculation. Because I grabbed the sword at the exact moment it had gone all the way and was about to return like this.”
Smack!
Was one strike not enough to ease her anger?
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Sa-ryeon’s palm kept moving between Jin So-un’s neck and back.
“What are you doing!”
“Try doing something reckless like this one more time! Then I’ll cut off Senior Brother’s hand with my sword, not Great Hero Namgung San’s! Do you understand?”
“……I understand.”
As though he still had something left to say, the Sect Leader opened his mouth once the surroundings grew quiet.
“Why did you go that far?”
An emotion that was neither reproach nor praise, but something impossible to know, was carried in his voice.
At the point when Namgung San used the Emperor Sword Art, Jin So-un had already won.
He was asking why Jin So-un had still not backed down.
Jin So-un scratched the back of his head for a moment, then said,
“That fellow did not greet not only the Sect Leader, but the others as well.”
The elders and hall masters looked at one another and tilted their heads.
“It may be that only I felt that way, but I also do not think he observed the courtesy of a guest.”
Hong Mun-gi’s face became dumbfounded.
“You wagered your fingers for merely that?”
“It is not…… merely that, is it?”
Disappointment filled the faces of Hong Mun-gi, Jin Tae-san, and the hall masters.
It was true that he had won the martial duel against Namgung San, but this could not possibly be called a proper victory.
It had been a situation where he might nearly have lost his fingers, no, his entire left hand.
Kang Chae-seok, who had laughed heartily and called it no great wound, flushed red and roared.
“You insane bastard. You bastard! Even so, you wagered a warrior’s hand on something like this!”
At that moment, Namgung San quietly entered.
Because of Kang Chae-seok’s thunderous voice, no one noticed Namgung San entering.
“Was this a small matter?”
Seeing Jin So-un talk back instead, despite having done something worthy of being scolded, the hall masters also began to grow angry.
“The moment Namgung San used the Emperor Sword Art, it was already your victory! You could have won without losing anything! This was not something you needed to go this far for!”
“The young junior disciples were watching, were they not?”
“……!”
“……!”
“!!!”
The elders and hall masters suddenly looked as though they had been struck by lightning.
“Even if my fingers had been cut off, if the disciples saw my sword placed at the tip of Senior Namgung’s neck, would they not feel the possibility within Taeul Sect’s martial arts? Would they not think, not ‘I wish I had been born as a child of the Namgung Clan,’ but ‘I should try challenging the Namgung Clan with my own sword’?”
No one in the hall could make even a single breath.
Hong Mun-gi and Jin Tae-san looked at Jin So-un with complicated eyes.
The elders and hall masters looked up at the dusty ceiling and kept sighing, as though something weighed on their chests.
Only Kang Chae-seok broke the frozen atmosphere by grumbling.
“……They would have been horrified at the sight of your fingers being cut off and tried to run away.”
Jin So-un merely answered with a faint laugh.
“If even one out of a hundred thinks of that possibility, and because of that continues the spirit of Taeul Sect, then I think my fingers will have paid enough of a price.”
“Khhup!”
As though something had suddenly burst out of him, Kang Chae-seok furrowed his brow deeply, covered his face, and ran wildly out of the building.
The people watched Kang Chae-seok, then saw Namgung San standing outside the door.
“You have come?”
When Hong Mun-gi acknowledged him, Namgung San, who had been about to give a small nod, soon offered a proper clasped hands greeting.
“You young people must have things to discuss among yourselves.”
At Hong Mun-gi’s words, Jin Tae-san, the elders, the hall masters, and even Sa-ryeon rose from their seats.
This time, on their way out, no one tried to speak to Namgung San or act in a way that might make them look good to him.
“……”
Namgung San silently placed down the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, the wooden box, and the Seven-Colored Jewel.
Then, after maintaining silence for a long while, he opened his mouth.
“Losing to the Namgung Clan is not a shameful thing.”
“Losing to Taeul Sect is also not a shameful thing.”
“Was Taeul Sect a sect of that caliber?”
“Is the pride of the Namgung Clan based on powerful strength?”
“!!!”
“If the Namgung Clan’s secret arts are cut off and the Boundless Firmament Sword Art disappears, will losing to Taeul Sect no longer be a shameful thing?”
“……”
Namgung San’s face, which had once carried itself with such confident steps, was filled with shame.
“We are the same. Just because we do not have powerful martial arts does not mean we have thrown away our pride.”
“……Fingers, you say. I had lost from the resolve itself from the very beginning.”
Namgung San suddenly offered a proper clasped hands greeting.
“I hope you will forgive, with broad magnanimity, the rudeness I showed at Taeul Sect in the past and the disgraceful sight I showed before you, Junior.”
Jin So-un also rose from his seat and performed a clasped hands greeting with his bandaged hand.
“You showed faith, and I have received your apology, so I will forget the past. Please also forget the discourtesy this lacking junior has shown during that time.”
Once their exchange of greetings ended, Jin So-un asked,
“Then what will you do about the Entry Token? Do you have another place to obtain one?”
“Do you want to wager the Entry Token again?”
“Of course not.”
For some reason, Namgung San stared intently at Jin So-un with a meaningful face.
“I do not think there is any need to worry. ……For some reason, it feels as though things will work out well.”
“Yes?”
Hong Mun-gi picked up the wine bottle and tried to fill his empty cup.
Drip, drip.
But the wine bottle had already been emptied entirely by Kang Chae-seok, who was sitting beside him and sniveling.
“……”
Hong Mun-gi could not even bring himself to blame Kang Chae-seok, who had brazenly emptied all the wine and was crying, and only twirled his empty cup.
Jin Tae-san, who had gone out to refill the wine bottle Kang Chae-seok had emptied, came in carrying a wine jar he had hidden away tightly and spoke.
“What are you sitting there crying pathetically for?”
“Leave him be. How troubled must his heart be?”
The moment the wine bottle was filled, Hong Mun-gi filled his own cup to the brim.
“Hic. Elder Brother, are you not ashamed? That a brat who is not even twenty yet would think and act like that for Taeul Sect.”
Even while sobbing, Kang Chae-seok kept filling the wine bottle.
“Not only the elders, but even the hall masters all showed their faces at Namgung San’s quarters once. When I heard what So-un said, even I felt ashamed.”
“I said stop!”
Though Jin Tae-san tried to stop him with effort, Hong Mun-gi instead agreed with his words.
“I was ashamed as well.”
“……Why are you like this too, Sect Leader? I know very well how hard you have worked for Taeul Sect.”
“What have I done?”
“Do you think I do not know that you still swing your sword every night at the Great Mysterious Hall’s training ground?”
“……”
Hong Mun-gi’s talent in martial arts, no matter how favorably one looked at it, could not rise above ordinary.
Even so, the reason he could not let go of martial arts was not because of personal achievement or desire.
Because, in the end, if there was no progress in his martial arts, there was no progress for Taeul Sect.
“Everyone is trying in their own way. Those hearts gather, and Taeul Sect develops further. There is no need to feel guilt, and no need to feel a sense of guilt either.”
“Rotten! What contributions have you made to Taeul Sect that you can be so confident!”
“Me?”
Jin Tae-san shrugged.
“Is Jin So-un not my son?”
“……Damn it…….”
Kang Chae-seok kept pouring down wine.
“On my way here, I saw that the lights of Busaeng Hall were still on.”
“Are the children training until this hour?”
“They were learning that strange Minor Heaven Sword Art from So-un.”
“Is that so?”
“I do not know whether we should stop them. It is certainly the Minor Heaven Sword Art, but it is not brimming with killing intent?”
“Was that not something you taught him?”
At Kang Chae-seok’s words, Jin Tae-san shook his head.
“Do you think so? You know how far my martial attainment goes, yet you say that?”
Hong Mun-gi, who had been listening silently, spoke as though sighing.
“Would it not be something that child researched on his own?”
“Yes? No matter how much the Minor Heaven Sword Art is a basic martial art…….”
“In truth, I was surprised because it has many similarities to the Minor Heaven Sword Art I was researching. Of course, the Minor Heaven Sword Art So-un uses is closer to completion. In any case, how much effort must that child have put in to achieve that level of accomplishment at such a young age?”
“That damned brat. So what he was doing after running out of Busaeng Hall was merely martial arts training?”
As though irritated, Kang Chae-seok used that as an excuse and gulped down the wine bottle.
“Just leave them be. Is it not good news that the children have become interested in basic martial arts?”
“That is true.”
“More importantly, is there anything we can do for So-un?”
As he took his mouth from the wine bottle, Kang Chae-seok spoke as though shouting.
“We have to do something for him! He has devoted his life to Taeul Sect to this extent, so should we not support him with something, whatever it may be, so that we will be at least a little less ashamed?”
“……”
Hong Mun-gi, who nodded, looked at Jin Tae-san and spoke.
“How about giving So-un the position of chief disciple?”
“……”
Jin Tae-san could not answer, his face stiff, and Kang Chae-seok nodded excitedly.
“That is an excellent idea! If that fellow becomes chief disciple, the children will follow him even more, and later, for the Special Admission Track…….”
Just as Kang Chae-seok was speaking excitedly, Jin Tae-san cut off his words and said flatly,
“It is a matter that must be considered.”
“Huh?”
In the strange situation where Kang Chae-seok was supporting it and Jin Tae-san was opposing it, Hong Mun-gi asked,
“What are you worried about?”
“Is the chief disciple not in a position like the Sect Leader among the disciples? If he ends up doing mandatory service in the Murim Alliance, Gye Cheol-yeong may not care for the Taeul Sect disciples. Moreover, the chief disciple is someone who may one day have to lead the sect. You must also consider Sa-ryeon.”
“You…… you fool!”
“It is not something to be given out while drunk on emotion.”
Hong Mun-gi stopped Kang Chae-seok, who was huffing, and continued speaking.
“What if So-un goes to the Murim Academy?”
“……”
“So-un has already contended with Namgung San and proven his skill. I think he will not be inferior to Gye Cheol-yeong. As for Sa-ryeon…… Sa-ryeon will not strongly oppose this decision either.”
“They say the Master of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild has once again requested a Spiritual Pill from the Mount Hua Sect. It will not be the Snow Plum Pill, but if Cheol-yeong’s inner arts increase by leaps and bounds, will Cheol-yeong not be selected in the end?”
Bang.
Kang Chae-seok, who had been listening, slammed the table.
“What are you doing right now!”
“I am speaking coldly. Do you think I would want to refuse something good for my own son?”
“That is not it, is it? You are worried right now that the Gyeryong Merchant Guild’s sponsorship money will be cut off!”
“……In the face of hunger, loyalty and belonging ultimately mean nothing. If Taeul Sect cannot provide meals right away, more than half the disciples cannot even eat one proper meal a day. What will we do about them?”
“You, you…… you!”
Kang Chae-seok could no longer continue speaking and sat down.
Silence settled over the hall.
No one could carelessly open their mouth before the heavy responsibility of food, clothing, and shelter.
“Is that truly all?”
“……That is the greatest problem.”
“If so, let us give So-un the position of chief disciple.”
“Sect Leader!”
Hong Mun-gi continued calmly.
“He wagered his fingers. In order to remove the sense of defeat from the children’s hearts. Are hands not like life itself to a martial artist? He wagered his own life to stop Taeul Sect’s honor from being thrown into the dirt. If a child like this cannot lead Taeul Sect, then who should lead Taeul Sect?”
“……This is not a matter to decide so emotionally.”
“No, it is not an emotional decision. If money is the whole problem, then I will earn money even if I have to work as an escort.”
“Sect Leader!”
“Yes! Good! I will do it too! No, I will gather all the hall masters and set up an Escort Agency if I have to, so do that!”
Kang Chae-seok and Hong Mun-gi clinked their cups together while laughing, not knowing Jin Tae-san’s burning frustration, and even held out a cup to Jin Tae-san.
In the end, Jin Tae-san sighed and picked up the wine cup.
“I will be managing the money coming in from the escort runs too, so know that.”
One cycles!
In my Dantian, a lump the size of a baby’s fist had formed solidly.
As if the Great Swallow Divine Pill’s fame was well-deserved, it flaunted its presence and created One cycles of inner arts in one breath.
“At last…… I have accomplished it.”
An enormous amount of inner arts I could not even dream of in my previous life.
In this life, this was still only the beginning.
Thanks to an unexpected fortuitous encounter, I had reached One cycles faster than expected.
I had swept up all the spiritual medicines in Anhui Province, but there were still many spiritual medicines in other provinces.
If I wanted to scrape together as many of them as possible before the Murim Academy Regular Exam opened, there was far too little time.
‘I should set out as soon as the Special Admission Track exam ends.’
As I thought that and entered Taeul Sect.
Before my eyes, unfamiliar people I had never seen before were filling the training ground while wearing weapons.
‘Gyeryong Merchant Guild?’
Those wearing the Gyeryong Merchant Guild’s martial arts uniforms stood in a circle as though protecting Gye Yeon-seok, and Gye Yeon-seok was having some serious conversation with the Sect Leader on the platform.
I approached Sa-ryeon, who was watching the two of them from one side with a worried expression.
“What is going on?”
“……Where did you go, coming back only now?”
“I was doing personal training. It’s not as though chaos breaks out because I’m not at Taeul Sect.”
“The problem is that chaos did break out.”
“Hm? What does that mean?”
I asked back at Sa-ryeon’s incomprehensible words, but Sa-ryeon merely looked toward the training ground without answering.
“Sect Leader Hong! How can you do this to me! Do you truly intend to break our promise like this?”
Gye Yeon-seok was showing both desperation and anger, like a man who had lost a mutual savings fund.
“Guild Master Gye. You are mistaken about something. The authority to choose the chief disciple is an inherent authority of the sect!”
“Who else has that qualification besides our Cheol-yeong in the first place!”
My mind went blank.
‘Chief disciple?’
That was originally a position that had been weighed between Gye Cheol-yeong and Hong Sa-ryeon.
A position carrying authority and responsibility comparable to an elder of the sect.
When dispatched to the Murim Alliance, the chief disciple’s words were the Sect Leader’s words.
Ordinarily, the position of chief disciple was given to the disciple who would enter the Murim Academy.
That way, once they became an executive, they could take care of even one more junior disciple.
In my previous life, Gye Cheol-yeong became the chief disciple, and because of that, we became Gye Cheol-yeong’s hands and feet and worked hard playing servants to the children of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans.
“Junior Sister. Did the Sect Leader say he would give the position of chief disciple to you?”
“……?”
Sa-ryeon looked at me with an expression asking what nonsense I was suddenly saying.
“Why has the position of chief disciple suddenly become a problem?”
“……It’s because of you, Senior Brother.”
“Me? Why?”
At that moment, the things I had done until now flashed through my mind.
I had brought back the Ninefold Sword from the Iron Sword Sect, and I had not retreated even an inch before Namgung San’s sword.
“Sect Leader Hong! Is this perhaps because of what happened at the Iron Sword Sect? Did I not say this! That at the Iron Sword Sect, our Cheol-yeong could not step forward because he belonged to the Gyeryong Merchant Guild!”
On the other hand, Gye Cheol-yeong had not stepped forward at the Iron Sword Sect either, and instead became the cause that incited the fight.
Compared to that, the things I had done were…….
‘I am completely excellent chief disciple material.’
However, from the Sect Leader’s position, this was not a matter he could easily decide.
If I became the chief disciple, the Gyeryong Merchant Guild, which already seemed to be slowly losing heart, might completely withdraw its hands.
If that happened, Taeul Sect’s economy might collapse in an instant.
Of course, because I had prepared arrangements and had the Seven-Colored Jewel, that would not happen, but even so, from the Sect Leader’s position, it was the same as having made an enormous decision.
“In the end, is this not a scheme to obstruct our Cheol-yeong’s entrance into the Murim Academy!”
At Gye Yeon-seok’s abusive words, Hong Mun-gi finally roared.
“Watch your words. Guild Master Gye! From the beginning, admission to the Murim Academy is an opportunity given to all disciples of Taeul Sect. Even if Cheol-yeong does not become chief disciple, if his skill is proven, can he not sufficiently enter the Murim Academy?”
The reason Gye Yeon-seok was so obsessed with the chief disciple position was because, during the admission screening, extra points were given for being chief disciple.
Since the chief disciple position was also proof of legitimacy within the sect, in a situation where even one point was precious, he absolutely needed to have the position of chief disciple.
“Kgh……!”
Gye Yeon-seok, who had been pushed back in the verbal argument, glared at me with resentful eyes.
“Fine! If you keep acting this way, I will immediately cut off the sponsorship I send to Taeul Sect as well!”
At words like a bolt from the blue, not only the hall masters but even the elders’ faces were filled with worry.
“Did you think I, Gye Yeon-seok, was someone Sect Leader Hong could use and throw away as he pleased? Go back to those days when you could not even properly eat one bowl of thin gruel a day, and wore clothes indistinguishable from those of Beggars’ Sect disciples! Once you do, you will know how foolish your choice was!”
Those with many worries were already unable to hide their unease.
Embarrassment also drifted across Hong Mun-gi’s face and Jin Tae-san’s face, but they tried hard not to show themselves wavering.
The atmosphere of the training ground sank into silence with unease, impatience, anger, and hostility.
While the young disciples watched the adults’ expressions and even breathed in secret.
A voice broke the silence.
“Then can I do that instead?”
At the voice that suddenly cut in without reading the atmosphere, Gye Yeon-seok turned his head back with eyes as though he would kill.
“Who is it! Who dares play around with an important affair of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild!!”
Gye Yeon-seok’s voice was so shrill that the warriors who had come with him began drawing their swords one by one and letting out fighting spirit.
“Playing around? I do not play around with things like that. Have you forgotten?”
A middle-aged man appeared together with a leisurely voice.
His attire looked plain yet luxurious, and unlike Gye Yeon-seok, his accessories were simple.
From his posture, straight and upright, flowed a naturally dignified attitude filled with authority.
“Y-You came here……”
Gye Yeon-seok’s mouth fell open as wide as a washbasin.
At that moment, from behind the man, a girl with a pale face and a lovely smile poked out her head.
“Brother So-un~!”
The man’s identity was Wang So-so’s father, Wang Geum-san.
