Chapter 53: Before the True Education
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Hyeop Mu-geuk, his eyes grown wide, doubted his ears.
‘Head-Severing Yama… he said?’
Yeop Hwon beside him was the same.
In the middle of this night when the plan to mop up the Thousand Snake Gang was progressing, they had heard an alias they never expected.
And it was the alias of the most famous ultra-first-rate, ultra-peak assassin in nearly a hundred years of martial world history.
Various questions tangled in the two people’s minds.
They had no idea when or how Cheol Ryu-heun had gotten Head-Severing Yama to participate in this matter.
It was someone who had disappeared thirty years ago – how on earth had he discovered where that person was now? Could they possibly know each other? No… Was he even really alive?
But.
It must be real.
Because Cheol Ryu-heun had never spoken empty words until now.
Hyeop Mu-geuk soon collected himself and asked hastily.
“Se-Sect Master! Is it truly Head-Severing Yama himself who is monitoring the Thousand Snake Gang’s movements?”
When Cheol Ryu-heun nodded indifferently, this time Yeop Hwon’s urgent question followed.
“Good heavens, did you already know the whereabouts of that great assassin from the previous martial world generation?”
At that, Cheol Ryu-heun replied with a blasé expression.
“I called him because I knew.”
Transparent ripples spread through the pupils of Hyeop Mu-geuk and Yeop Hwon.
He knew his whereabouts beforehand?
What exactly did those words just now mean…?
As if reading the two’s thoughts, Cheol Ryu-heun let out his voice.
“This was also thanks to the secret place where the ancient fortuitous encounter was arranged.”
Simultaneously, a quiet exclamation of “Ah!” slipped from between the lips of Hyeop Mu-geuk and Yeop Hwon.
That mountain cave where Sagong Woon had previously obtained a sword.
The two people, sticking their tongues out in amazement, muttered the same thing internally.
‘What, is it some kind of all-purpose cave?’
From the miraculous Bone Replacement and Marrow Cleansing, to various elixirs, to mystical creatures… And on top of that, even the legendary assassin Head-Severing Yama from the previous martial world generation had appeared.
At this point, wasn’t it basically like a goblin’s sack that spat out everything you asked for?
Meanwhile, Cheol Ryu-heun was inwardly amused.
‘Heh, using one cave to explain away everything is pretty convenient.’
It was ridiculous, but what could he do?
It wasn’t as if he could reveal that he was actually the Divine Martial Sword who had been resurrected by borrowing the body of the vegetative Cheol Ryu-heun.
Hyeop Mu-geuk blinked and opened his mouth again.
“So you’re saying clues or records related to Head-Severing Yama’s whereabouts were preserved there? From after he disappeared…”
“Yes.”
“My, I never knew such things were stored there too. What a miraculous place. Then when did you go to meet him?”
“Before the true education.”
“Ah…!”
Only then did Hyeop Mu-geuk realize.
Before the true education – that referred to two days before the White Mountain Gate party led by Guk Gyeong-in came to visit.
At that time, Cheol Ryu-heun had suddenly departed with Divine Wind right after eating breakfast – now he understood it had been to leave and meet with Head-Severing Yama.
But.
Above all, there was one biggest question.
“Sect Master, what made Head-Severing Yama, who had been in hiding for such a long time, agree to take on this matter?”
Yes, that’s what he wanted to know.
Unless some truly enormous condition that could move his heart – whether money or whatever – had been offered, there was no way a giant from a previous era like Head-Severing Yama would readily move.
Hyeop Mu-geuk and Yeop Hwon thought.
He must have surely offered some condition that would make the other party fall for it immediately.
But the answer they heard was.
“Shit.”
Cheol Ryu-heun answered abruptly with that.
In an instant, Hyeop Mu-geuk and Yeop Hwon made blank expressions.
Huh? Shit? Out of nowhere? Did we mishear?
As the two were puzzled like that.
“He was crawling on all fours because of shit.”
When Cheol Ryu-heun let out an indifferent voice, Hyeop Mu-geuk and Yeop Hwon’s eyes lost focus.
What, what kind of shitty talk is this…
* * *
The morning two days before the White Mountain Gate party visited White Peak Sword Sect.
After eating breakfast, Cheol Ryu-heun took the Liver and Intestines Sword from his office and went to the training ground, making an abrupt announcement to the personnel gathered for training.
“Attention – I’ll be away until tonight.”
At that, Hyeop Mu-geuk tilted his head and asked.
“Where are you going this time?”
But the response was no different from usual.
“Well, just some simple business. Anyway, knowing that, make sure no one slacks off while I’m gone.”
“Yes, Sect Master!”
The disciples who had shouted in unison seemed to have expectations.
Everyone already knew.
Whatever purpose Cheol Ryu-heun had for going outside, it would benefit the sect if anything, and would never cause harm.
They only needed to think about one thing.
What amazing thing would happen this time…?
That’s why everyone showed expressions of expectation.
Soon, when a worker brought out Divine Wind, Cheol Ryu-heun immediately mounted its back and disappeared outside White Peak Sword Sect like lightning.
Right after, Guyang Cheon let out a quiet voice.
“Wait, there are only two days left now?”
Guyang Ji, standing beside him, nodded slightly.
“Mm… It’s tight.”
At that, Guyang In’s expression darkened.
“Everyone needs to successfully emit sword wind by the day after tomorrow… One misstep and we’ll be celebrating our next birthdays in a grave.”
Guyang Cheon and Guyang Ji scowled and shouted.
“Don’t jinx it!”
“Words can become seeds!”
Startled, Guyang In quickly waved his hands.
“No, no, I’m just saying that’s the situation we three are in. We don’t know yet, right? Even if we fail at teaching and have to do ten thousand whole-body twists, whether we’ll die or not…”
Guyang Cheon and Guyang Ji replied half-heartedly.
“Well, true, would we actually die?”
“Though it’ll be practically the same as being dead.”
At that moment, Tae Sa-ja and a few workers could be seen crossing the training ground toward the main gate.
“Going to the market?”
At Guyang Cheon’s words, Tae Sa-ja shook his head.
“No. We’re going to buy shovels. The ones in the storehouse over there are quite old…”
“Ah, I see. Well, it is about time to replace some of the tools. Hurry back.”
“Yes, we received plenty of money, so we’ll get good-quality shovels.”
Just as Tae Sa-ja and his group disappeared outside the main gate with brisk steps.
“Wait, why shovels of all things? That’s ominous.”
When Guyang In frowned, Guyang Cheon and Guyang Ji snorted and replied.
“Heh, worried? That they’ll dig a hole to bury us all?”
“No matter what, surely the Sect Master didn’t give such an order? To dig up the ground in advance? Come on, that’s not something a person would do.”
* * *
“If they can’t even complete sword wind training, they’re not even human.”
Following those words, Cheol Ryu-heun tapped Divine Wind’s side with his foot.
“Now, shall we run properly?”
Divine Wind seemed to understand and kicked the ground harder.
Clatter-clatter-clatter- Clatter-clatter-clatter-!
Each time the front and rear hooves crossed, holes were imprinted into the dirt road.
Had it learned some technique?
Unlike before, this gallop didn’t leave large traces like puddles.
Cheol Ryu-heun glanced at the hoof prints on the ground and grinned.
‘It really is as good as a mystical creature.’
While the power of its advance had increased, the weight of its hoof prints had lightened.
As if it were a lightness-technique expert who had realized a new subtlety in movement due to martial advancement.
At this rate, might it start flying through the sky later?
In truth, it was a natural phenomenon.
The Thousand-Year Mountain Ginseng was an ultimate elixir worthy of being called a “gift from the immortals,” and its efficacy became even greater over time.
Because the vast pure vital energy the ginseng itself contained took anywhere from months to years to fully absorb depending on the consumer’s ability.
Of course, Divine Wind was just a four-legged beast, but Cheol Ryu-heun had previously used an ancient martial world’s lost blood vessel opening technique to help shorten that period as much as possible.
That’s why the effects of the Thousand-Year Mountain Ginseng were appearing this rapidly, like a martial arts expert’s dramatic enlightenment.
He estimated that in just a couple more months, the pure vital energy within Divine Wind’s body would be fully absorbed.
Having covered the ten-ri road without rest, Cheol Ryu-heun listened to the wind sounds scraping past his ears and briefly sank into thought.
‘I wonder if he’s still alive? He should be about eighty years old by now.’
There was one person who suddenly came to mind.
Head-Severing Yama.
A figure who had made a great name as the greatest assassin during the era when the previous owner, Ascending Heavens Sword Dragon Ba Hun, was active.
Because he would always behead his targets without fail, people called him the King of Hell who carried around a guillotine.
His personal alias carried precisely that meaning.
In truth, Head-Severing Yama’s debut was spectacular.
Because the first martial artist to become his target was one of the strongest representing the Guangdong region at that time.
Strange Blade King Bul Bi.
The first Lord of Great Strange Mountain Manor, an unorthodox power in Guangdong Province.
Strange Blade King Bul Bi, who had been one of the Thirteen Seats of the World – excluding the incomparable strongest, Ba Hun – had his neck severed by Head-Severing Yama’s blade the day before a grand celebration and departed this world.
At that time, a single letter was discovered beside his corpse.
<For a monster with a human face and beastly heart, beheading and bringing that head before the face of the King of Hell is fitting punishment.>
Written on the ground along with that sentence was a detailed record of the crimes that Strange Blade King Bul Bi had secretly committed.
It was the beginning of an assassin’s legend.
Head-Severing Yama made a great name through steady killings afterward and came to be called by that four-character alias.
The range of commission targets didn’t distinguish between orthodox and unorthodox, between experts and novices.
Instead, he only beheaded those he investigated and confirmed to be evildoers, and absolutely prohibited any contract work against ordinary people who didn’t know martial arts.
The peculiar points about his killings were that he sought out clients himself, and that he sometimes worked for no pay.
Thus, Head-Severing Yama killed a total of one hundred martial artists over the course of about twenty years, then retired.
He hadn’t said with his own mouth that he would quit the assassin life.
It was just that since he had no activity from a certain point on, everyone accepted it as retirement.
That was approximately thirty years ago.
Just like Ba Hun, who had suddenly turned his back on everything and gone into seclusion, no one knew of Head-Severing Yama’s whereabouts afterward.
Except for one.
Except for the Divine Martial Sword who had been reborn as Cheol Ryu-heun in this generation.
And not just the place where Head-Severing Yama was in seclusion – he also knew very well the reason for his sudden disappearance.
In truth, his retirement was related to the previous owner, Ba Hun.
‘Well, he’s someone with outstanding martial prowess, so he probably didn’t die. I’ll find out when I get there.’
Divine Wind, having galloped without rest, had now entered the dense forests near Baizhou.
Cheol Ryu-heun happened to take in part of the distant city scenery in his eyes while thinking.
‘The Red Cat Merchant Guild party should have departed at dawn today too.’
Divine Wind, running and running while kicking up fierce winds, passed through a couple of small villages and arrived at an uninhabited mountain valley.
Whoosh-
Cheol Ryu-heun pulled the reins and slowed Divine Wind’s gallop.
Clop, clop, clop, clop…
How long had they proceeded along the winding path like that?
Just as rustling came from the bushes, a group wearing clothes made of animal hide poured out.
A bandit gang armed with swords.
About twenty people spread out like a screen and blocked Cheol Ryu-heun’s path.
A sturdy man in his thirties at the front of the group rested his sword on one shoulder and glared.
“Hey, that horse you’re riding looks pretty good? The muscles are well-developed. I’d like to ride it myself.”
A clearly provocative attitude.
Cheol Ryu-heun met his gaze with dry, emotionless eyes.
The man pulled up one corner of his mouth and spoke.
“Heh, lost your nerve already? Looks like you’re a swordsman from your appearance, but don’t try anything foolish. I’m actually from a famous martial sect. Though I’m a disgraced expelled disciple now.”
In other words, he was threatening and warning that his martial skill was qualitatively different from ordinary bandit groups.
Cheol Ryu-heun asked disinterestedly.
“Is it a large-scale mountain fortress?”
“Huge, we control this entire valley. So if you just quietly…”
“Then there should be about a hundred people. Well, they’ve probably saved up decent money too.”
When Cheol Ryu-heun cut him off like that, the man’s brow twitched.
“Huh… Look at this impudent fellow.”
Suddenly.
Fssshhhhh-!
Divine Wind breathed out pure white steam from its nose and mouth, emanating a mysterious current from its entire body.
The bandits were bewildered.
Gah! What is that? Wait, is the horse breathing out smoke?
Cheol Ryu-heun’s voice reached the man’s ears.
“You’ve heard the rumors?”
“What?”
“The crazy guy who goes around with a crazy horse, robbing bandits.”
“…!”
“That’s me.”
Simultaneously, the faces of the man and the bandits hardened like stone.
Ah… Damn… That bastard was that bastard?
“This is my first time shaking down a large-scale mountain fortress, but it should be pretty fun.”
When Cheol Ryu-heun tapped Divine Wind’s side with his foot.
CRASH-!
Divine Wind, having shattered the ground, began rampaging wildly like an enraged monster.