chapter 261

Holding a Blade in the Heart 1

After finishing dinner, Lim Sobo and Buk Ri-seong descended the mountain.

Before they left, Buk Ri-seong made one last attempt to persuade Lee Soo-ah, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Ultimately, Buk Ri-seong could only turn away in disappointment.

Before leaving, Lim Sobo earnestly urged Lee Gwak to come to the Thousand Kingdom School if he ever changed his mind.

Lee Gwak stood on a bear-shaped rock, silently watching as Lim Sobo and Buk Ri-seong disappeared down the mountain. By his side, Han So-cheon stood quietly.

Suddenly, Han So-cheon spoke.

“Oraboni, won’t you regret this?”

“Regret what?”

“Not going with them.”

“No, I won’t.”

Lee Gwak answered firmly.

Han So-cheon looked at his face intently.

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That your left earlobe twitches whenever you lie.”

“What kind of nonsense is that…”

“It’s true. I’ve been watching for three years.”

“Really?”

“Believe me. After living with you for three years, I probably know your habits better than you do.”

“Hmph.”

Lee Gwak scratched his head, embarrassed, while Han So-cheon smiled at him.

Three years ago, Lee Gwak had returned to Mount Yeosan, barely clinging to life. The only reason he survived was because the Divine Physician was by his side. And if not for her, he would have been wandering the netherworld by now.

After treating Lee Gwak’s injuries, Dam Soo-rin left Mount Yeosan with Bang Yae-in and the others. Once Lee Gwak could move on his own, his last companions, Cheol Gwang-woo and Ki Jin-hwi, also left the mountain.

Although they didn’t say where they were going, it was easy to guess they were headed to Bang Clan’s Inn in search of Bang Ye-in.

After Cheol Gwang-woo’s departure, Lee Gwak’s family also left Mount Yeosan and came to settle in the quiet refuge of Mount Qilian.

Not only Lee Gwak, but Han So-cheon was also nursing injuries, and Lee Cheong’s health had severely deteriorated. They needed a quiet place, away from prying eyes, to rest and recover.

That’s how they ended up at Mount Qilian.

Here, they healed their exhausted bodies and minds.

The first to recover was young Lee Cheong. Being so young, his recovery was swift. Han So-cheon followed soon after.

The slowest to recover was Lee Gwak. His injuries had been the most severe.

It took him six months just to walk on his own. And it took twice that time for his internal injuries to fully heal.

During that long period, Lee Gwak lost most of his muscle mass, and his strength was drained. Practicing martial arts was out of the question. In fact, Lee Gwak abandoned martial arts entirely while his body recovered.

Instead, Lee Gwak devoted himself to his family.

After being separated for six long years, they had all missed the warmth of each other’s company. Lee Gwak spent most of his time with his family.

Han So-cheon and the children felt the same. The children, especially, never wanted to be far from Lee Gwak.

Lee Cheong was mature, and Lee Soo-ah was lovable.

Once his health improved, Lee Cheong, along with Lee Soo-ah, began learning martial arts from Lee Gwak. Lee Cheong’s talent for martial arts was in no way inferior to Lee Soo-ah’s. However, because he had started training much later, he hadn’t yet caught up to her.

During the day, Lee Gwak spent time with the children, and at night, it was Han So-cheon’s turn.

Lee Gwak and Han So-cheon shared the love they had been unable to express for so long. They lived this way for three years.

During those years, Lee Gwak never once touched the blade.

The blade he had used during his time in the Jianghu had been broken in his battle against Go Geom-wol, and since then, he hadn’t bothered to get a new one.

Lee Gwak had been away from the blade for a long time, and it wasn’t a lie.

Once Lim Sobo and Buk Ri-seong disappeared into the darkness, Lee Gwak turned to Han So-cheon.

“Let’s go back. The children are waiting.”

“Okay.”

Han So-cheon nodded and followed him.

Swish! Swish!

Their clothes brushed against the tall grass.

Unknown insects chirped, and fireflies flickered their lights as they floated into the sky.

It was a scene they had seen countless times since coming here, but each time, it brought new emotions.

Hand in hand, Lee Gwak and Han So-cheon walked the moonlit forest path.

Before long, they arrived at their hut, where Lee Cheong and Lee Soo-ah greeted them.

“Dad!”

***

Lee Gwak carefully rose from the bed, making sure not to wake Han So-cheon.

After gazing at the sleeping face of Han So-cheon, who was slumbering with her bare skin exposed, he stepped outside.

The moon that softly lit the darkness with its gentle glow had disappeared, and the surroundings were enveloped in pitch-black darkness.

Lee Gwak quietly moved forward.

Rustle! Rustle!

The sound of grass brushing against his pant legs broke the silence.

With his eyes half-lowered, he walked through the grassy field.

Piercing through the darkness, he headed toward a large waterfall cascading down one side of the basin.

The melted waters from the eternal snows of Mount Qilian gathered here to form this waterfall. Because the eternal snows had melted, the water was extremely cold.

Even before approaching the waterfall, he could feel the chill.

A thick mist hung around the waterfall. The closer he got, the more the moisture clung to his body. Still, Lee Gwak did not stop walking.

Roarrr!

At last, he arrived before the waterfall.

The waterfall was pouring down with a force that seemed to swallow heaven and earth. He felt that no matter how great human martial arts were, they were nothing before the majesty of nature.

Lee Gwak silently gazed at the waterfall.

Since settling in Mount Qilian, he had seen this sight countless times. Yet, he had never seen the same appearance twice.

Such aspects of nature stirred a peculiar emotion within him.

Like a stone statue, he stood motionless for a long time, watching the falling water.

At that moment, he closed his eyes and envisioned the blade in his mind.

Just as he had told Lim Sobo, since coming to Mount Qilian, he had never once held a blade. He hadn’t even practiced martial arts.

By now, he couldn’t even remember how to wield the Heaven Killing Blade. The calluses that had been embedded in his hands had disappeared, so much so that his hands could no longer be considered those of a martial artist.

But Lee Gwak had never once let go of the blade.

Though he had let go with his hands, the blade always existed in his heart.

The insignificant and vague blade in his heart grew larger over time and became clearer in proportion to its size.

He cultivated the blade in his heart.

No one had taught him. It was simply his heart that guided him. He followed what his heart commanded.

The blade he held in his heart grew little by little.

The initial appearance, as unimpressive as a stick, had vanished, and now a perfect blade resided in his heart.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

The vast waterfall filled his vision.

At that moment, he imagined swinging the blade in his heart.

Shwaa!

A huge line appeared in the middle of the waterfall that had been pouring down as if to swallow the earth.

The straight line split the waterfall vertically.

As the waterfall parted, the scenery hidden beneath revealed itself. The moss-covered cliff exposed its inner surface for the first time. But only briefly, as the waterfall soon cascaded down again.

As if ashamed of having been split even for a moment, it poured down with even more ferocious force.

“Is this… the Mind Blade?”

He murmured.

He had abandoned the blade in his hand but gained the blade in his heart instead.

Lee Gwak found it peculiar.

Since coming here, he had abandoned his obsession with martial arts, yet his skills had improved, and he had entered a new realm.

“The more I empty myself, the more I am filled.”

He suddenly looked up at the sky.

The sky, which had been as black as pitch, was now permeated with a soft light. Dawn was breaking.

He quietly left the waterfall and headed toward the hut.

“Dad!”

As he approached the hut, Lee Cheong greeted him.

“You’re already up?”

“I just woke up early.”

“Are you not tired?”

“Not tired at all.”

Lee Cheong shook his head.

Lee Gwak smiled, and Lee Cheong smiled back. Their expressions were astonishingly similar. But neither of them found it strange.

It was not unusual for a child to resemble their parent, and it was natural to learn everything from them.

Lee Cheong was the same.

He was unconsciously becoming more like his father.

That’s why he started his day at the same time his father did.

Compared to the diligent Lee Cheong, Lee Soo-ah slept a lot. So she always woke up late.

Lee Cheong said, “I’ll start now.”

When Lee Gwak nodded, Lee Cheong sat in a lotus position and began cultivating his internal energy.

What he was practicing was the Eight Snakes Art.

Lee Gwak had passed on the martial art he had mastered to his son. The Eight Snakes Art had to be learned from a blank slate to be fully mastered. For that reason, he couldn’t pass it on to Lee Soo-ah.

She had already mastered the Triple Yin True Qi and the Triple Yin Divine Blade. On top of that, she had learned teachings from Muk Cheon-gang. In some ways, Lee Soo-ah could be considered Muk Cheon-gang’s unofficial disciple.

In order for Lee Soo-ah to learn the Eight Snakes Art, she would have to erase the Triple Yin True Qi and Muk Cheon-gang’s teachings and start anew, but that was impossible. Therefore, Lee Gwak gave up on teaching her the technique and instead helped refine her existing skills.

Under his watchful eye, Lee Cheong practiced the Eight Snakes Art.

He had already opened the second gate.

It was a path that his father had already walked. Therefore, he was familiar with it, but for his son, everything was new. So he was cautious about everything.

Sweat beads had already formed on Lee Cheong’s face.

He was an outstanding talent. Although his body was weak and he couldn’t directly learn martial arts, his mind held dozens of martial arts he had read at the White Light Sect. Therefore, his understanding of martial principles was as profound as any genius in the world.

So at first, he thought he could easily master the Eight Snakes Art. He presumed that no matter how superior it was, its principles would be similar to the martial arts he knew.

However, the technique he learned from his father was on a different level from any martial arts he had studied so far.

The martial principles he had studied until now did not apply to the Eight Snakes Art. Starting to cultivate internal energy from the Huiyin point instead of the Dantian was itself different.

Because of that, he had to experience chaos.

It would have been much better to start with a blank slate, knowing nothing. Then he would have been able to learn the Eight Snake Arts step by step, without any preconceived notions.

For that reason, his father focused on erasing his preconceptions. Fortunately, after some time, he was able to free himself from biases and immerse himself in the technique.

Lee Gwak quietly watched as Lee Cheong deeply immersed himself in cultivation.

Although he couldn’t see it with his eyes, Lee Gwak knew well the state of his son’s body.

It was a path Lee Gwak had already walked.

Just by observing his expression and bodily reactions, he could tell what state Lee Cheong was in.

Lee Gwak spoke in a low voice.

“Be careful that your thoughts don’t wander. The serpent within you feeds on your thoughts. If your mind wavers, the serpent cannot advance further.”

Kuuu!

Lee Cheong’s body trembled.

Sweat flowing from his forehead soaked his face, and his clothes were drenched before he knew it.

It was evidence that his cultivation had reached its peak.

He was challenging the third gate. But the third gate was so solid that no matter how fiercely he knocked, it wouldn’t open.

“Should I give up?”

Suddenly, such a temptation arose.

There was plenty of time.

He was still young. Even if not today, there were countless opportunities left to challenge it.

If he gave up, he would feel some regret, but he could at least rest for the day. And he could try again tomorrow.

Just as his mind was being consumed by such a strong temptation,

“Believe in yourself, Cheong.”

Lee Gwak’s voice awakened his spirit.

Clenching his teeth, he challenged the third gate again. But despite his efforts, the gate didn’t budge.

It was as if the gate itself was rejecting him.

“Dad, I think it’s too hard,”.

As his belief in himself was fading,

“If you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in me. Trust me and challenge your limits. You are strong, Cheong!”

Once again, his father’s voice awakened him.

He believed in Lee Gwak.

Trusting his father, he fully exerted himself in practicing the technique.

Boom!

It felt as if his spine was being torn apart.

He thought that if he continued like this, something might go wrong. But trusting in his father, he dispelled the fear in his heart. Then, a path appeared.

He guided the serpent along the path he saw.

Wooooong!

At that moment, as if responding to his earnest desire, the steadfast gate opened slightly.

The serpent that had been knocking didn’t miss the gap and burrowed in, coiling itself.

“Ah!”

He trembled as if struck by lightning.

‘He did it.’

Lee Gwak smiled.

He was more pleased with Lee Cheong’s success than with his own realization of the Heart Sword.

He watched his son’s growth with proud eyes.