Chapter 107: Building Blocks for the Future (1)
Since both sides had received an unexpected proposal, we concluded by parting ways for the time being.
Perhaps thanks to Uncle Baek Jin-seong’s advice that one shouldn’t act emotionally, the girl named Ju So-ran also seemed to be calmly organizing her thoughts.
I, for my part, assessed the current situation.
“She seemed to have talent, right?”
[Are you talking about that young girl named Ju So-ran?]
“Yes.”
[Well, if it’s ‘just’ talent. It’s normal for someone who hasn’t trained their mind and body to be startled even by a dog’s bark. A guy at Baek Jin-seong’s level could make a person faint with just his momentum. Although he went easy on her to some extent, it’s praiseworthy that she endured even after facing that momentum.]
A person’s true nature was revealed when a critical moment arrived.
Most fell into confusion and flustered, but a few would do whatever it took to fight back.
Ju So-ran was the latter.
[Do you plan on taking her under your wing?]
“There’s something I’ve been thinking about since before.”
Helping Young Lady Ju So-ran was secondary; in a sense, it would not be wrong to call it exploitation.
Although my case was highly exceptional, martial arts generally did not happen overnight, but had to be built up step by step; naturally, if the foundation was twisted, one could not build it high.
One of my long-term goals was to correct the current flawed flow of martial arts.
Indeed, the martial arts I had encountered so far were all twisted in one way or another.
From the Nine Great Sects to the Demonic Cult.
To correct this, a long and arduous path would have to be walked.
And if I were to choose the most necessary thing for this, it would be ‘results.’
In terms of reach, the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects were more influential.
However, the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects were mostly secret techniques never revealed outside; the water at the top did not flow down.
Furthermore, the Nine Great Sects possessed strong pride in their martial arts, making it near impossible to change their rigid way of thinking.
In other words, when I redefined and spread martial arts, it was bound to be more effective to go through practical places like escort agencies rather than the Nine Great Sects.
I had to show and prove it.
I had to present grounds substantial enough to overturn the stagnant water.
This was partly to repay my masters’ kindness, but in truth, it was also for myself.
Considering my martial arts achievements, unless I died a sudden and untimely death, I would easily ascend to heaven.
The problem was that, from what I had heard about the pitch-black working environment in heaven, I needed to improve it somehow.
Even for the sake of my masters who were floundering in that heavenly prison(?),
and for my own longevity!
Before ascending to heaven, I had to use any means necessary to change the working environment(?).
‘I will definitely have to drag that fellow Beom-gak in…’
He had said he was dispatched to establish a martial arts hall in Samyang County.
If that was Shaolin’s purpose, it was only polite and proper to actively utilize him.
If I planted proper martial arts and raised him well starting now, I would be able to put him at the forefront of improving Shaolin’s constitution in the future.
It would serve as the optimal track record against the stubborn Nine Great Sects.
“I believe we must try anything to send even one more person to heaven.”
[……You say such admirable things.]
Master Zhang Sanfeng spoke in a moved voice, and soon arrived at the same conclusion as I did.
[I see. Popularization through an escort agency… Should I view it as something similar to when I spread the Supreme Ultimate Fist to the world?]
“Although it needs to have a more practical aspect, I believe it must be a martial art that can sprout the practitioner’s talent through steady cultivation.”
[Understood. I will try making something suitable.]
Master Zhang Sanfeng readily accepted.
Necessary martial arts were produced just by speaking.
In the domain of martial arts, the existence of my masters was nothing short of a cheat.
Around the time I had organized my thoughts in my own way,
“Could you spare me a moment of your time?”
Ju So-ran sought me out.
***
Finding a comfortable place to talk, I sat face-to-face with Ju So-ran.
Although I had made up my mind to cooperate, there was no need to enter with a low posture; nor should I.
Since I had my own purpose, I needed to possess the influence to carry it through.
Because of that, I acted haughtily for the time being.
Ju So-ran, who was sizing me up and observing me, let out a shallow sigh.
“I have thought about many things—what would be good to offer. But I could only think that anything would be insufficient. We do have wealth, but not enough to entice you, Young Hero; and we have our own martial arts, but they probably will not catch your eye. An answer simply would not come.”
She seemed to have brainstormed hard about what she could offer for the proposal.
“So, I would like to ask. What must we offer to persuade you, Young Hero?”
It was not a bad approach.
[It’s better than throwing out absurd or half-baked proposals.]
“Indeed.”
Did she grow after listening to Uncle Baek Jin-seong’s words?
She certainly seemed to have good potential.
In any case, thanks to that, it became easier to speak.
“I have no need for wealth or martial arts, but since I have set a certain resolution of my own, I believe I can answer.”
“Ah! Is that so?”
Whether she thought there was absolutely no way or that an unacceptable demand would be made, Ju So-ran’s face brightened.
“From this moment on, the Bright Fate Escort Agency must never object to my words under any circumstances. When I command, the Bright Fate Escort Agency follows. Even if this is the condition, can you accept it?”
However, upon hearing my words, Ju So-ran’s expression stiffened.
“Those words mean… you want… absolute obedience?”
“Yes.”
Perhaps having run a wild imagination for a moment, Ju So-ran unconsciously grabbed the area near her opposite elbow with one hand.
Normally, people touched their elbows or necks when they felt threatened.
For example, when they felt their chastity was in danger.
[What kind of imagination do you think she just had?]
At Master Zhang Sanfeng’s sudden, playful interjection, even I almost had strange thoughts.
“This fellow and that fellow alike!”
A middle-aged man named Myeong Il-seo shouted angrily.
“Are you that great? Are you guys really that great?!”
He must have harbored what happened with Uncle Baek Jin-seong in his heart. A deep emotion was embedded in the word ‘you guys.’
‘Inferiority complex, and suspicion?’
He was looking at me, but he did not know me.
“How do you think of me?”
“A brat full of nonsense and bluffing!”
“Is that where we start?”
I, ironically, had not heard the rumors about me circulating in Martial World.
However, if the things I had accomplished were spreading, this reaction was understandable.
Even if it were me, I would not have believed it if I heard rumors about myself.
The existence known as me was outside the standard norms.
I had to correct this first.
“Before paying the price, it would also be necessary to know what you were trying to buy, wouldn’t it?”
A personality like his could not be persuaded with words.
I had to directly show and prove it.
“Shall we go out? There is a decent empty lot nearby.”
“Just what I wanted!”
Let’s have a match.
The middle-aged man named Myeong Il-seo did not refuse, true to his apparent personality.
***
Whether flustered by the sudden situation of clashing weapons, Ju So-ran stiffened her face completely.
Perhaps feeling a sense of helplessness as well, she clutched her pants several times.
The words she uttered at the end of it all were pitiful and powerless.
“He is a precious person to me.”
A mere plea, lacking any independent opinion.
“It is fine. I do not dislike that kind of person.”
I smiled toward Ju So-ran.
‘Though I do not particularly like him either.’
Before meeting my masters, I had been at the absolute bottom of the Wudang Sect. Because I always had to be mindful of and watch my surroundings, I learned how to observe people.
Although he did not measure up to Grandfather, from my own standard, Myeong Il-seo was a person whose emotions preceded his calculations.
While such a person had major flaws, their strengths were also significant; since they made emotional judgments before performing cost-benefit calculations, they would never betray you if treated well.
In short, he was a man who staked his life on loyalty.
Just looking at him now, was he not trying to do something about the Bright Fate Escort Agency, which was practically ruined?
Although it would be difficult to entrust him with heavy responsibilities, he could still serve as a sort of centripetal force for the currently weak Bright Fate Escort Agency, so I had to drag him along somehow.
Instead, there was a prerequisite.
To use such a person, one had to firmly grasp the reins.
One had to make him yield from the heart.
Fortunately, there was a good way.
“Now, then.”
Upon arriving at a suitable empty lot shortly after, I turned around and raised my hand.
“Shall you come?”
“Indeed! Prepare yourself!!”
Myeong Il-seo drew his pudao from his waist and rushed forward spiritedly.
His body leaned forward so much that it almost looked as if he was throwing himself.
While doing so, he ran with the pudao gripped in both hands trailing behind him like a tail.
A minor trick.
A trick to hide the blade with his body to disrupt the spacing.
Though he masked the trick of hiding the blade with his momentum, the risk was also high since he exposed himself by thrusting his body forward.
It was the method of those hardened in real combat, fighting with their lives on the line of a blade.
“Hup!”
Only when a distance of about five paces remained did the blade spring out.
The slash swung with the momentum of his run passed right before my nose.
“Hryat! Hryaryat!”
Every time he let out a battle cry, the trajectory of the blade changed.
A saber is a slashing weapon.
The trajectory drawn by the tip of the blade always described a gentle curve.
He slashed as if tearing through my territory, swinging alternately left and right.
*Whoosh! Swish!*
‘It is certainly a blade refined in real combat.’
Although there were traces of training, it was swordsmanship focused on tricks to deceive the opponent rather than seeking depth.
The most straightforward example was the movement of the shoulders.
The shoulder is the start of all attacks.
By looking at the shoulder, one could tell what attack the opponent would extend.
Furthermore, Myeong Il-seo had rushed forward while hiding the pudao behind his body. In other words, he had jutted his shoulder forward.
However, every time he swung the blade, Myeong Il-seo oddly twisted the movement of his shoulders.
Looking at the movement of his shoulder, it seemed like he would swing the blade horizontally, but the blade that actually sprang out was a method of digging into the blind spot below.
Although he showed the boldness of throwing his body before a blade, in the end, it was a method of gaining an advantage by deceiving the opponent.
‘If it were a third-rate, it would work. A second-rate would be ambiguous. If it were a first-rate, their head would fly off before they could even extend the blade.’
However, there was absolutely no way it would work on me.
Evading the pouring attacks at a constant interval was the proof.
“Are you only going to dodge?!”
Myeong Il-seo himself likely knew that fact better than anyone.
Even though he held a one-sided offensive, he could not cut even a single hair of mine.
That shout was an expression of fear and frustration.
“I have seen all there is to see, so I will stop merely dodging now.”
“Kugh!”
I leaped backward greatly and retreated. Although I did not use the Cloud-Soaring Golden Light Step, in Myeong Il-seo’s eyes, it must have looked as if I had disappeared in an instant.
Having secured distance, I brought my hand to the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword at my waist.
*Schwing.*
The sword was drawn.
*Riiiiing!*
A crying sound was heard.
The sword, emerging from its scabbard, let out a cry as if grumbling, asking why it was only being drawn now.
“…A sword cry?”
“What I will show you from now on is homework.”
Although it was something I could not do against a terribly deep and well-structured martial art like Young Lady Jang So-wol’s swordsmanship,
“Keep your eyes wide open and watch closely.”
I could do it against the opponent before me.
“…I leave it to you, Master.”
[Indeed.]
Even if it was a method of borrowing another’s authority, that is.