Chapter 28: What Kind of Madmen Would Brandish Swords Here

History is made at night.

It meant that historically important decisions or conspiracies were made in dark and secret places.

After all, darkness was bound to cover up many things.

The events taking place here also shared that same context.

Someone visited those who were quietly preparing in the darkness.

“What did they say?”

“They said it is the same as usual. Ah, and…”

“Speak.”

“They asked us to make sure to distinguish them, as they wore red hoods to be easily recognized even in the dark night.”

“What a fussy fellow.”

In the faint light filtering through the open door, the smile of the person listening to the report was revealed along with deep shadows.

“Anyway, if it is the same as usual, they will be heading to Jungeuk Peak.”

“Because the orthodox bastards like to stand in the center.”

“Yes, they do have that kind of temperament.”

It was a biased statement.

However, although the person listening to the report recognized it, he did not bother to point it out.

Even if it was a biased statement, such things were needed right now.

At least to them.

“It’s good that it’s easy to understand.”

Although the Beggars’ Sect, which held the position of the ‘One Gang’ among the Nine Sects and One Gang, had its foundation in the secular world where people lived, the Nine Great Sects had their foundations in the mountains. Every single one of them was settled in scenic spots known as sacred lands.

Perhaps for that reason, when the rising stars of the Nine Great Sects gathered, they would climb the scenic spots of each sect to watch the rising sun or hold a small banquet in the middle of the night to cultivate their righteous spirit.

The way they acted had hardened into a tradition.

It was a boon to them.

Since traditional things were always the same, they were also easy to read.

“Even though they’ve burned down once before.”

Inside Mount Song, they had let down their guard because it was Shaolin territory.

“We just have to make them realize it this time, shouldn’t we?”

“Hehehe.”

If they had subtly tried to hide what they disapproved of in the previous biased words, this time a laugh expressing pure agreement with the other’s opinion leaked out.

“We are moving away from our essence. Becoming a tamed dog is not our path. Isn’t that obvious just by looking at the actions of those young ones?”

Radical thoughts leaked out.

In a very bad direction.

However, no one here thought that way.

They followed the path their instincts dictated was right.

Their instincts were clear.

“We change the world.”

A world without calculations.

An era of pure wildness where empty formalities did not exist.

“We spark the flame.”

Those running wild harbored murderous intent.

***

Accepting the things that rushed in like a rising tide was not easy. Rather, it felt like being swallowed.

My mind grew distant. For a moment, everything disappeared, to the point that I even forgot my own existence.

But now that I had come to my senses.

“This is to the point of being a bit scary.”

What cannot be left out of Martial World stories is precisely a fortuitous encounter.

Hidden treasure. The heritage of ancient predecessors.

Thanks to having a grandfather who was well-connected, I could grow up listening to quite a few stories about the Martial World.

Among them, there were also many stories about spiritual elixirs.

Stories like how eating an incredible spiritual elixir filled one’s inside so much that the dantian became tight.

However, what I felt now was different.

It was a feeling of being completely empty.

Should I say it felt like an empty space had been created inside my body?

It felt as though something had expanded astronomically.

The problem was that this did not remain in the category of just a mere feeling.

How should I express it?

That the vessel had grown larger?

Master Zhang Sanfeng and Master Bodhidharma had bestowed upon me the basic cultivation methods they had refined in heaven, telling me to build a foundation.

I had refined myself through martial arts such as the Taoist-made Secret Arts, the Tendon Transforming Classic, and Indian Yoga.

Having put in such effort, it was rewarding that I could measure to some extent the foundation built within me.

But now, I could not measure it again.

It was like looking at something so vast that it could not be captured in a single glance.

If the state before receiving this energy felt like having carried out the foundation work to construct a large manor, now it felt like having prepared the ground for the foundation work to build a massive castle.

It became larger and more grand.

Although it was still just foundation work with nothing built upon it yet, I, as the person concerned, could feel better than anyone that a vast potential was writhing within it.

Suddenly, it felt as if a result several times greater than what I had worked for had dropped out of nowhere, creating a sense of disconnect.

This must be why martial artists constantly sang praises of fortuitous encounters.

Just how much did I gain in one go?

Oh! Wait. But what is this?

Internal energy is about capturing external energy inside and filling it, right?

But why did I feel as if I had created a larger empty lot rather than feeling that something had been filled as I accepted this energy?

It was somewhat different from the general concept of internal energy that I knew?

Was it just a feeling that wasn’t quite a feeling, yet felt like one?

[How is the Heavy Earth Divine Art?]

“Ah!”

While observing the state inside my body, Master Bodhidharma’s voice was suddenly heard.

I did not know how long I had lost my mind, but he seemed to have been watching over me all this time.

Seeing that Master Zhang Sanfeng was said to have been dragged(?) somewhere, it seemed even heaven was not a place where time was completely leisurely, which made me truly grateful.

Filled with that gratitude, I circulated the Heavy Earth Divine Art as Master Bodhidharma instructed.

“…It’s done. The first stage.”

The first stage of the Heavy Earth Divine Art, which I could barely reach only after entering a state of extreme concentration while maintaining an unwavering, clear mind through the Clear Brightness Mind Method.

Now, it was done too easily.

The abundant power I had experienced back then welled up inside my body.

Was it really alright for it to become this easy?

Just how much did I change?

“Hmm?”

Wait. I felt empty just a moment ago, yet it was filling up?

Where on earth was this power coming from?

Perhaps because my understanding had grown, what I saw was different and what I felt was different.

Though my masters surely knew what they were doing, and their lack of nagging probably meant I was on the right path, not knowing was still unsettling.

I should make time to ask seriously someday.

No, is there a need to go far?

If I ask now…

“Argh!”

…I thought I could, but this guy ruined the moment.

Seeing Baek Mu-ho, who opened his eyes with a bizarre scream and rose as if having a fit, I let out a sigh.

Looking around, the fellow spotted me, approached, and felt my body here and there.

“Why?”

“I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah. A dream where you and I kissed the golden ape.”

“…”

The world is wide and tastes are many, but this is a bit…

Since I knew a bit more than this guy, it felt even more so.

“I just left it alone, and we even merged into one?”

“…”

“No, I don’t mean that kind of thing… How should I say it. Sucked right into the mouth… Hey, if you back away so blatantly, it hurts my feelings.”

“Who wouldn’t back away?”

If I just thought of it as him seeing things and having a wild dream, it wasn’t that shocking.

‘She is a female.’

My memory suddenly worked overtime. Just like Master Bodhidharma bursting the truth in my head once again.

Would I find out the truth if I asked Master Bodhidharma?

No, let’s just stop thinking about it.

Going any further than this is dangerous.

If I threw a pointless question and a response like ‘Then why did you move your tongue?’ came back, I would be beyond recovery.

“Did you have any changes?”

“Me? As for me…”

The expression of the fellow who answered casually suddenly changed.

“Fuck?”

Seeing that a curse popped out right away, it seemed this fellow had also obtained quite a lot.

Giving him a moment to reflect on himself, he examined his physical condition on his own and said.

“If it’s like this, I want to experience it once more.”

“Become human first, you madman.”

He even made a crazy remark.

His words about wanting to experience it once more made me imagine a weird scene.

Let’s really stop.

It was a relief it was just an imagination in my head; if someone ‘saw and heard this, causing them to imagine something bizarre,’ what a nuisance that would be.

“Shall I guess what you imagined?”

But this guy kept bringing back that imagination. His words accompanied by a faint chuckle and the smirk on his face were the very definition of a despicable villain.

Since staying here long would only lead to him constantly mentioning it and making me imagine things, it seemed best to leave this place quickly.

“I don’t know how much time has passed, so let’s return to Shaolin first. Lest we cause a strange misunderstanding.”

“Explain what kind of misunderstanding you’re talking about in around a thousand letters… Urgh!”

“Why don’t you listen when I tell you once?”

A satisfying sensation accompanied by a smacking sound from my fist made its substantial presence known.

Yes, I should have done this from the start.

If I kept letting a madman babble nonsense, it was only my loss.

Or, looking at the long term, should I just erase his memory altogether?

It seemed it would work out if I got help from a memory-erasing device nearby—a stone.

***

“Why is his fist so painful.”

Baek Mu-ho rubbed the spot where he was hit as he watched Yeon Cheong-un, who had beaten him up viciously, stride away.

It seemed it would bruise.

Yet, contrary to the pain, a chuckle escaped his lips.

He didn’t know what kind of fortuitous encounter occurred, but his internal energy had increased tremendously.

Whether it was because his internal energy had increased, he could feel that the senses and performance of his body itself had changed to a level of being completely replaced.

“Let’s see.”

At a sudden thought, Baek Mu-ho’s hand touched the sword at his waist.

Perhaps due to his altered physical condition, even the familiar touch of the sword felt new.

Moving his still unfamiliar body, he swung the sword.

Shaak!

A cleanly sliced sword mark.

The trajectory on the wall sliced by the sword spoke of his current position.

“Is it similar?”

Of course, comparing it to the mark over there was shameless.

But at least, he had similarly captured what that sword mark contained.

If he added flesh and grew it from here, he might reach it someday.

It was said with that meaning in mind.

By the way, for it to be a sword mark of a realm that even he, possessing talent that surprised his father, might barely reach in his lifetime.

Just who was the person who left this sword mark?

“Is it someone who reached the end of the heavens?”

Thinking so, curiosity sprouted rapidly once again.

Yeon Cheong-un, his friend who had strangely kept many secrets lately. It seemed he might find out if he grilled him.

However, thinking that probing that secret might not bring a good result, he did not ask.

Well, he would tell him someday.

If not, then so be it.

Because if he didn’t tell him until the end, he was a guy who would have a reason.

For now, just following him around was fun.

That was enough.

***

Baek Mu-ho, who came out late, smirked strangely.

Did he talk behind my back while he was alone inside?

“…Huh?”

While thinking about Baek Mu-ho for a moment, an annoying sound caught my ear.

“It sounds like a sword fight.”

“On Mount Song? You’re joking, right?”

“Indeed.”

What kind of madmen would fight with swords here?

Baek Mu-ho also looked half-believing.

Then.

“…It really is.”

As the distance closed slightly, it seemed this fellow heard it too.

The sound was gradually bleeding through the mountain echoes.

[Ho! Ho! Ho!]

Master Bodhidharma, please calm down.

Somehow, hearing about a sword fight on Mount Song seemed to stimulate Master Bodhidharma’s other personality. The rich scent of emotion felt from his laughter was burdensome.

It didn’t seem like something to just ignore and pass by.

Moving my steps with that thought for now.

While moving toward the sound, something suddenly popped out.

The gleam of a blade flashing under the moonlight.

A fierce ambush assaulted us.

Jjeong!

Ujik!

So much so that I reflexively could not show any mercy in my move.

My ruthlessly swung hand shattered the blade flashing under the moonlight and crushed the person.

Someone who flew off, turned into a bloody mess, was thrown like trash.

“That startled me… Damn it!”

I was surprised by several things. Getting ambushed suddenly was one thing, but also the power of the Heavy Earth Divine Art’s first stage that I experienced again just now.

Checking it again, it was a thrilling power.

“I can’t control my strength well.”

“You can’t control your strength? And you beat my head with that kind of control?”

Hearing my offhand words, Baek Mu-ho’s eyes turned murderous.

Huh? Is that how the story goes?