Chapter 61: Finally Establishing the Name of a Rascal (1)
The sound of raindrops falling one by one and hitting the grass.
At the sight of a tiger that he had cut down in the past appearing to have returned alive, Bi Mu-geuk blinked his eyes for a moment.
“…Ah.”
He was soon able to realize that it was an illusion.
Because the enemy in front of him was not something that could be compared to a mere tiger, but was indeed a terrifying beast.
Bi Mu-geuk let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Oh Ja-woon’s neat face.
“Did you also know how to play petty tricks?”
“It was not my resourcefulness, but I had a good teacher, so I watched and learned a lot by his side.”
Oh Ja-woon also smiled while looking at Bi Mu-geuk’s face.
There is a saying, ‘reducing stoves to lure the enemy (減竈誘敵)’.
It is a trick of reducing the number of stoves for cooking rice in the process of moving troops, making the pursuing forces misjudge the size of one’s own troops.
Chui increased the number of campsites as he crossed the mountain, left behind food and water, and finally created bloodstains to deceive that his physical condition was gradually worsening.
And as a result, Bi Mu-geuk came to face Oh Ja-woon in such a lively state one-on-one.
However, Bi Mu-geuk did not seem to mind much.
He drew the sword at his waist, he spoke.
“On my way here, I cut down a large tree.”
“…”
“Suddenly, I thought of you.”
The gazes of Bi Mu-geuk and Oh Ja-woon met in one place.
Bi Mu-geuk continued speaking.
“The trunk was too uneven to be marked with an ink line, and the small branches were too bent to fit a square or a compass. So I cut it down. It means that even if it is too big, it is of no use. Do you understand what I mean?”
At that, the corners of Oh Ja-woon’s mouth curved slightly.
“A wildcat is small and fast, so it catches mice well, but an ox is big and slow, so it cannot catch mice. But can you clear a mountain and turn it into a field with a wildcat?”
“…”
“You say that a big tree has no place to be used, but what if that tree could just be transplanted to the entrance or center of a village? Young children would come and hang swings, farmers would enter the shade to avoid the scorching sun, and a wooden bench could be placed for passing travelers to rest for a while.”
Hearing those words, Bi Mu-geuk’s brow furrowed.
“Questions and answers (問答) are ultimately useless (無用). After all, what kind of conversation is needed between a wildcat and an ox.”
“I did not necessarily compare you to a wildcat. However.”
Oh Ja-woon’s eyes shone.
“I am indeed an ox. An ox that has the strength to cut down a mountain and turn it into a field.”
“…”
“If I go to the Demonic Cult, and when I return here, there is one mountain that I will turn into a field first of all.”
“…!”
Hearing Oh Ja-woon’s words, Bi Mu-geuk’s eyes widened.
“You scoundrel! How dare you insult Mount Hua!”
“Hahaha—I only said that I would cultivate a mountain and till a field, so I do not know why you are getting so angry. Did I ever say that I would turn Mount Hua into a wasteland?”
At the same time, Bi Mu-geuk swung his sword.
Oh Ja-woon also raised his single remaining right arm and swung his sword.
Klang!
In the sky where raindrops were just beginning to patter down, thunder rumbled a bit early.
The loud sound of the two blades fiercely clashing against each other was bursting out.
As Oh Ja-woon’s sword and Bi Mu-geuk’s sword bristled toward each other, the essence of the Twenty-Four Movements Plum Blossom Sword Art (二十四手梅花劍法), the ultimate technique of the Mount Hua Sect, unfolded.
First Stance: Plum Blossom by the Roadside (梅花路傍).
Like plum blossoms blooming auspiciously by the roadside, the sword tips of the two shook peacefully, no different from usual.
The appearance was so peaceful and calm that it was as if the opponent did not harbor even a shred of hostility toward this side.
Second Stance: Plum Blossom Butterfly Dance (梅花蝶舞).
Plum blossom petals danced like butterflies, approaching each other.
The sword tips moved so elegantly that they did not seem dangerous in the least on the outside, but rather made one want to draw close and caress them.
Third Stance: Plum Blossom Exhaling Allure (梅花吐艶).
The plum blossom petals, which had been fluttering like butterflies, tempted the opponent with a voluptuous color.
It was a beautiful charm, to the extent of making the onlooker want to reach out and grasp it.
Fourth Stance: Plum Blossoms Opening for Sharp Guidance (梅開利導).
No matter how beautiful they were, these plum blossom petals were all drawn by the tip of a sword.
This stage was precisely the step in which the sharp true nature was finally revealed to the opponent who had drawn close, attracted by the beauty.
Fifth Stance: Plum Blossom Falling in Sunlight (梅花落暹).
Plum blossom petals were everywhere, like falling sunlight.
Those who had drawn close, bewitched by the beautiful charm, realized that there was no longer any place to retreat as they looked at the plum blossoms that had filled their surroundings before they knew it.
Sixth Stance: Falling and Falling Plum Blossoms (梅花落落).
Plum blossoms fell and fell.
Plum blossoms fell, fell, and fell.
Plum blossoms fell, fell, fell, and fell again.
Oh Ja-woon and Bi Mu-geuk stared straight at each other through the endlessly scattering plum blossoms.
The title of ‘Plum Blossom Swordsman,’ which only the greatest geniuses of the Mount Hua Sect could receive.
The two playing a life-or-death gamble here were precisely those Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Patter—patter—
Before long, the rain became quite heavy.
Bi Mu-geuk withdrew the sixth stance amid the rain drops falling in long streaks.
Oh Ja-woon also drew back his sword.
He was pushed back half a step further compared to Bi Mu-geuk.
Bi Mu-geuk spoke.
“The plum blossom petals are not falling evenly.”
“…”
Oh Ja-woon did not answer.
Not having a left arm has a profound impact on one’s sense of balance.
In fact, while the plum blossoms on both sides bloomed competing in momentum, in the area where Oh Ja-woon’s sword moved, the plum blossoms on the right bloomed slightly more evenly.
Bi Mu-geuk’s mouth opened as he stared blankly at that.
“I was the ‘Sword’ (劍) of the ‘Gold, Righteousness, and Sword’ (金義劍).”
…
Oh Ja-woon did not answer.
But even so, Bi Mu-geuk continued speaking.
“And you were the ‘Gold’ (金) of the ‘Gold, Righteousness, and Sword’ (金義劍).”
“…”
Bi Mu-geuk was recalling the time when he had just entered the Mount Hua Sect a long time ago.
At that time, the ways to wear the Taoist robes of the Mount Hua Sect could be roughly divided into three, and those three paths were collectively called the Gold, Righteousness, and Sword (金義劍).
The first was the Gold Path (金路).
It was the method of entering by paying a massive donation.
This money was mainly used to raise disciples who would later enter the Sword Path (劍路).
The second was the Righteousness Path (義路).
It was the method of entering through righteousness.
Those who wore the robes of Mount Hua through this method were mostly officials who did not reside within the Mount Hua Sect, or their children.
The third was the Sword Path (劍路).
It was the method of entering through skill.
It was, in a way, the most honest yet most difficult path to pass, selecting children with neither money nor backing purely based on their talent for the sword to allow them to wear the robes of Mount Hua.
Here, Oh Ja-woon was a case of entering the Mount Hua Sect through the Gold Path, and Bi Mu-geuk through the Sword Path.
Bi Mu-geuk recalled the time when he first met Oh Ja-woon.
A shaggy-haired boy wearing silk clothes and carrying a fine sword.
Bi Mu-geuk, who was the child of a poor farming family, had inwardly looked down on him.
Because unlike that rich boy who entered this Mount Hua Sect thanks to meeting good parents, he himself had climbed all the way here solely with skill and spite.
However, Bi Mu-geuk’s stubborn pride could not be maintained for very long.
Oh Ja-woon, who came from the Gold Path, was so outstanding in swordsmanship that the saying that he entered with money was put to shame.
Breaking all the records in the Mount Hua Sect after his entry, Oh Ja-woon soared straight up.
However, Bi Mu-geuk had not envied such an Oh Ja-woon from the very beginning.
He acknowledged Oh Ja-woon’s talent and aptitude in his heart, envying and admiring him.
So in the beginning, he had tried to behave friendly, endeavoring to get along well with him.
Then one day.
Bi Mu-geuk finished his morning training and headed to the training ground to do additional personal training.
Just as a thousand (千) days of practice is called forging (鍛) and ten thousand (萬) days of practice is called refining (鍊) to make ‘tempering (鍛鍊),’ Bi Mu-geuk was always whipping his body and mind to their limits.
Even on that day, Bi Mu-geuk was repeating his tempering to the point where the skin of his hands was worn and blood flowed.
What he saw then was Oh Ja-woon, who was taking a nap while hiding behind a tree by the well.
The moment he saw the sight of the beautiful Junior Sister Maeng Yeong giving a lap pillow to such an Oh Ja-woon, a certain emotion boiled up within Bi Mu-geuk’s heart.
He himself always tempered with the determination to die even after training ended, but Oh Ja-woon always took a nap or went for a walk immediately after training was over.
Yet, he was always lagging behind Oh Ja-woon.
“…You were always like that. Even while sleeping or taking a nap after training was over, you were more outstanding than anyone else, including me. That was why Junior Sister Maeng Yeong also began to have curiosity about you.”
Bi Mu-geuk swung his sword as if to shake off the past.
Oh Ja-woon parried that sword.
Klang!
Bi Mu-geuk’s sword, extending from bottom to top, fiercely pushed away Oh Ja-woon’s sword, which fell from top to bottom.
Oh Ja-woon, who had no left arm, lost his footing at the strong impact that suddenly struck.
Oh Ja-woon, who retreated hesitantly, was barely able to avoid falling, but his upper body was in a state where it was almost turned backward.
Taking advantage of that gap, Bi Mu-geuk, who had soared upward, rushed toward the bottom.
It was a movement like a hawk diving upon discovering a chick.
Oh Ja-woon also prepared for a counterattack.
He hid the sword behind his body while his upper body was turned backward.
And he prepared a counterstrike toward the descending Bi Mu-geuk.
However.
“I can see everything!”
Even while falling from top to bottom, Bi Mu-geuk could accurately see the position of the sword hidden behind Oh Ja-woon’s body.
That was due to the puddle of water formed by the pouring rain.
The puddle of rainwater created at Oh Ja-woon’s feet clearly told Bi Mu-geuk what position the blade hidden behind Oh Ja-woon’s body was pointing toward.
Bi Mu-geuk intended to strike straight down with his sword to cut Oh Ja-woon’s body in two.
……At that very moment.
“!?”
Bi Mu-geuk felt his heart sink.
There was a left arm.
Oh Ja-woon’s left arm had sprouted anew at some point.
So Oh Ja-woon was now holding the sword with his newly sprouted left arm and preparing a counterstrike!
‘No!’
Bi Mu-geuk hastily turned his sword to the side.
If Oh Ja-woon had a left arm, he could not enter this trajectory.
If he went in like this, that left-handed sword (左手劍) would pierce through his waist and cut his body in two.
So Bi Mu-geuk turned his sword completely to the side.
At that very moment.
Whoosh!
Oh Ja-woon’s sword was swung.
Originally, Bi Mu-geuk’s sword was half a beat faster, but because he withdrew his sword halfway and swung it again, a whole beat was lost.
It became half a beat slower than Oh Ja-woon’s sword.
And the moment Oh Ja-woon’s sword revealed itself beyond his upper body, Bi Mu-geuk’s eyes widened as if they would tear.
There was no left arm.
The sword was held in Oh Ja-woon’s right hand.
In that split second, Bi Mu-geuk had mistaken Oh Ja-woon’s right arm reflected in the water puddle for his left arm.
Slice—
Oh Ja-woon’s sword sliced past Bi Mu-geuk’s left waist.
Red fresh blood spurted from the cut wound that was about half a span deep.
“Kugh…!”
Bi Mu-geuk grit his teeth.
Toward him who was retreating, Oh Ja-woon’s sword extended fiercely.
It was a deadly strike (殺招) that even the Plum Blossom Swordsman of the world could never avoid.
At that very moment.
Bi Mu-geuk, with the tip of Oh Ja-woon’s sword right before his eyes, hurriedly shouted.
“Do you know the culprit!?”
At that voice, which was close to desperation, Oh Ja-woon’s sword tip stopped for a moment.
Taking advantage of that gap, Bi Mu-geuk shouted once more.
“I mean, do you know who the culprit who killed your wife, Kang-ah, is!”
Oh Ja-woon’s pupils trembled.
If not for those words just now, Bi Mu-geuk would have lost his head to the sword Oh Ja-woon had just swung.
Eventually, Bi Mu-geuk stood at a place far away from Oh Ja-woon.
It was while he tightly clutched his flank where blood was gushing out.
“…”
Oh Ja-woon drew back his sword and retreated half a step.
It was a movement urging for an answer.
And soon, Bi Mu-geuk confessed.
“The culprit who killed your wife, Kang-ah, is…”
The enemy of his wife whom Oh Ja-woon had searched for so desperately.
“Our junior sister, Maeng Yeong.”
It was the name of the person who had plunged his life into the abyss in an instant.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost