No Gaps Are Visible.
The sword techniques compiled by the master are a total of eight basic forms of the Gu Yang Wu Ji swordsmanship.
I could somewhat mimic the first four forms, so I considered them learned.
1. The Long Sword Form (장검식) is about releasing one's Qi.
2. The Short Sword Form (단검식) is about compressing one's Qi.
3. The Ten Thousand Swords Form (만검식) is about scattering sword energy like a thousand flowers in bloom.
4. The Draw Sword Form (발검식) is a technique that unfolds the first three forms while drawing the sword.
However, the latter four forms of Wu Ji swordsmanship were difficult for me.
5. The Thunder Sword Form (뇌검식) claims that the sword energy transforms into a thunderstorm.
How am I supposed to do that?
6. The Wood Sword Form (목검식) says to unfold five seasonal techniques with a wooden sword.
Shouldn't the wooden sword break under normal circumstances?
7. The Qi Sword Form (기검식) says to unfold all techniques without a wooden sword.
If that's the case, what's the point of learning swordsmanship?
8. The Wu Ji Form (무극식) states that the sword, spirit, and inner strength explode in an instant, but this is such an absurd technique that I have nothing to say about it.
After reading it three times, I quickly and decisively gave up on the latter four forms.
I am a man who gives up immediately if something doesn’t work out.
The master’s explanation was too brief, and forcing myself to learn would only lead to four instances of confusion.
This senior always provides brief explanations.
It could be because his level is high, or he might think that detailed explanations are meaningless.
In my previous life, I realized something while practicing martial arts.
Some techniques can be easily learned at a glance, while others, due to my way of thinking, personality, or understanding, cannot be grasped.
The important point is that I am not a perfect human being.
As written in the Golden Valley Soaring Skill, I should just grow stronger little by little each day.
Forcing myself to grasp what I cannot will not lead to good results.
There are many ways to become stronger, so I didn’t need to cling to the latter four forms.
I intended to approach martial arts with a mindset that is a bit more flexible and relaxed than during the time of the Mad Demon. ‘Let’s not force what cannot be done.’
After placing the precious items in a rather expensive-looking box and putting an unidentified ring on my middle finger, I stepped outside.
Perhaps due to reading the books repeatedly, dawn was breaking before I knew it.
After gathering the two jars of liquor that had not been opened in the kitchen, I sat at the outdoor table and stared blankly at the rising sun for a moment.
Just like the sunset in the purple haze, I found the colors of the sky during sunrise to be strange.
It felt as if Yin and Yang were changing shifts, and light was emanating from their tightly clasped hands.
In any case, whether it was dusk or dawn, that mysterious light always resembled my name, Zihua (紫霞).
After stopping my thoughts and reflections, I read the master’s notes written at the end of the secret book.
“Did the Gu Yang Wu Ji swordsmanship seem impressive? Even a man like this has defeated me seven times.”
After taking a sip of the liquor, I read it as if I were conversing with the master. “You are impressive.”
“Then am I the number one in the world?”
“No. As far as I know, there are other masters at a similar level as me. Everyone ages and dies, so how can one boast of being the number one in the world for a moment? If I outlive those masters by taking care of my health without competing against them, will I then rise to the number one position?
By then, I will also soon grow old and die. In summary, the term ‘number one in the world’ is meaningless. Just wandering the world, if I meet a stronger master and discuss martial arts, that would also be my fortune and joy.
How could victory and defeat be more joyful than raising the level of martial arts? Martial arts are originally learned slowly over a long time. Those who rush will meet a fate like Gu Yang Wu Ji, harming themselves.
Will the later generations walk the path of the demonic way, gaining power in a short time, or will they become a hero who grows stronger day by day? Think about it. No matter how strong a martial artist becomes, they cannot defeat a steadfast hero.
I know many do not agree with my thoughts, but that is how I feel.”
“Hmm, just a hero?”
What kind of sudden hero theory is this? Nowadays, the term hero has almost disappeared from the world, yet the old master Gu Yang was mentioning heroes.
If it were someone else’s words, I would have let them slip through one ear, but I couldn’t do that.
It was the master’s words after all.
As I drank alone, I pondered over the master’s hero theory.
Why? Does it mean that heroes are stronger? The content of the book was too brief for me to immediately resolve my curiosity.
Suddenly, glancing towards the Phoenix VIP room, I saw the bloodied Baek So Ah and Heuk So Ryeong peeking out, and our eyes met.
I asked, “Are you trying to escape?”
The two ran towards me and replied in a reporting tone. “We came out to see if the fire was out.”
“We came out to see where the master was.”
I pointed to the opposite side of the table. “Sit down.”
“Yes.”
As soon as the two sat down, I bluntly asked, “What do you think about heroes?”
Heuk So Ryeong replied, “I have no thoughts. Aren’t there none these days?”
Baek So Ah also answered, “I learned that heroes are wonderful people when I was young.”
I scratched my head and gestured towards the liquor. “Just drink.”
“Yes.”
“Drinking while watching the morning sun is the best. You have to drink in a pitiful state to truly taste the liquor.”
After drinking a few cups with the two, whose names contained ‘So’ and ‘Laugh,’ I gave them a nickname on the spot. “From now on, I will call you both Heuk Baek So So (黑白昭笑). The meaning of the name is to always smile brightly, so it is your duty to always smile brightly.”
Heuk So Ryeong and Baek So Ah looked at each other and replied simultaneously, “Understood.”
“I will meditate for a while until my subordinates arrive…”
I took out the Flash Dagger from my bosom and placed it on the table, then said in a serious tone, “If you see a gap, stab me.”
“……”
After appointing Heuk Baek So So as my guards, I entered meditation.
If I had taken the spring medicine, I would have had lewd dreams, but in my dream, I was being beaten by Kwang Seung again.
Sometimes it happens.
There are times when I can hear my own snoring while sleeping.
A man who hears his own snoring while dreaming, that is me.
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, I opened my eyes and placed my legs on the empty chair in front of me.
When I glanced at the two with sleepy eyes, Heuk Baek So So spoke. “Please sleep comfortably.”
“No gaps are visible.”
I replied while closing my eyes. “……That is me.”
I snored again, this time with the determination to beat Kwang Seung.
“Master, I think you should wake up.”
As soon as I heard Heuk So Ryeong’s voice, I nodded with my eyes still closed. “Did I meditate for too long?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“It was appropriate.”
I wiped the drool from my mouth and looked around.
The atmosphere was very tense, even in broad daylight.
A little distance away to the left, the subordinates of the Black Cat Gang, including the Death God, were lined up, and to the right, a group of martial artists in uniform was glaring at the Black Cat Gang.
Judging by the atmosphere and attire, it was the Southern Ming Association.
Among that group, Jeong So Yi pointed at me. “That’s not the leader; that person is the leader.”
“That guy?”
The man who led the Southern Ming Association’s martial artists glared at me.
I yawned and said to Heuk Baek So So, “You two stay to the left. They are my subordinates.”
Heuk Baek So So hurriedly got up and moved towards the Death God.
I gulped down the liquor on an empty stomach, still half-asleep.
With drool on my face and my head feeling heavy, I took a drink as soon as I opened my eyes, feeling a sense of hopelessness as if there was no one in the world to compete with.
The officer from the Southern Ming Association who came to inspect the Narak Association asked me, “Are you the leader?”
I pointed to the opposite side and replied, “As you can see. Sit down.”
While both sides were in a standoff, the officer from the Southern Ming Association walked over alone and sat down across from me.
Naturally, a staring contest ensued.
I had trained in staring contests since my days with Jeong So Yi, so I wouldn’t easily lose.
The first one to blink spoke. “I am Nam Yeon Pung (남연풍) of the Southern Ming Association.”
This guy seemed to be a relative of the association leader, as he shared the same surname.
I looked at my subordinates and revealed my identity. “I am the leader of the Black Cat Gang.”
Nam Yeon Pung narrowed his eyes and replied, “Are you a disciple of the Great Master?”
“I am the one who killed the Great Master.”
“I see. Do you know that Gu Yang Bok was someone who was paying tribute to our Southern Ming Association?”
“He revealed that before he died.”
Nam Yeon Pung looked at me and then surveyed the Southern Ming Association’s forces.
Their numbers were significantly fewer than those of the Southern Ming Association.
It seemed he had hurriedly come to assess the situation after hearing Jeong So Yi’s words.
Nam Yeon Pung said, “You are young, but do you know our leader’s temperament?”
“What is the leader’s temperament like?”
Nam Yeon Pung touched his forehead as if suppressing his anger and replied, “Black Cat Gang Leader, you should come to the Southern Ming Association and apologize to our leader. That is the only way to prevent this from escalating. Go back and ask your subordinates what kind of organization the Southern Ming Association is and what kind of person our leader is, gather information, and then come to apologize. Do you understand? If you refuse, you will face a full-scale war with the Southern Ming Association.”
“Apologize?”
Nam Yeon Pung pointed to the town with his finger and said, “Do you think our leader would be angry over a mere tribute or the Narak Association? Money is not important. You need to explain why you killed Gu Yang Bok without any special reason. The sword of the leader of the Southern Ming Association does not discriminate against its target. Whether it is the demonic way, the righteous way, or the same black way, it does not matter. Do not let it escalate to killing.”
From the statement that money is not important, I already sensed that the Southern Ming Association was quite a strong organization.
I said to Nam Yeon Pung, “Convey to your leader. Gu Yang Bok died because he was involved in gambling. Whether he paid tribute to you or not, gambling is a different matter. I only transferred some of the money he amassed through cheating to you. If you received it knowingly, according to the laws of the Martial Alliance, it would be considered complicity in fraud, and if the Southern Ming Association assisted him, you would also be an accomplice in gambling. Therefore, it is not right to ask me to apologize. Convey this point and add my words.”
“What is it?”
I pointed at Nam Yeon Pung with my finger. “I will be at the Black Cat Gang, so invite me formally in the name of the Southern Ming Association leader. Then I will visit and discuss what happened this time with the leader. The request to apologize is such a foolish thing that it must have come from your head…”
I pointed to the Flash Dagger still stuck on the table and said to Nam Yeon Pung, “Yeon Pung, do you want to die here?”
“……”
I leaned forward and said to Nam Yeon Pung, “Is the Southern Ming Association quite strong? I don’t care. By the way, the Great Master was more arrogant than you before he died. Go back and convey my words to your leader. Save your useless talk for your subordinates. Understood?”
Nam Yeon Pung glared at me and then scanned my subordinates.
It might be a dilemma, but I felt he was not the type to recklessly die here.
Nam Yeon Pung stood up, sighed once, and said, “Let’s meet again.”
I am originally a man who holds grudges, so I continued to tease Nam Yeon Pung, who was trying to act tough until the end. “Yeon Pung.”
Nam Yeon Pung turned around. “I once saved your life. Go.”
As I smiled, Nam Yeon Pung turned bright red and quickly walked away.
Following him, the Southern Ming Association, which had come with great momentum, left in heavy silence.
Of course, Jeong So Yi, whom I knew, also followed them.
Only then did I call So Gun Pyeong and say, “Let’s retrieve all the funds from the gambling king and those women and head back.”
So Gun Pyeong nodded. “Understood.”
I waved to Jeong So Yi, who was standing awkwardly.
After handing him an empty cup, I poured him some liquor. “Good work.”
Jeong So Yi smiled and replied, “Thank you.”
Since all the disciples and subordinates were watching, I added, “Let’s wrap things up within an hour and leave. We will drink when we arrive at the Black Cat Gang. Keep that in mind. Today, we earned quite a bit of money, so let’s drink grandly.”
I said this to boost the morale of my subordinates.
Thinking about it, I realized that aside from waking up today, drinking, and bullying the Southern Ming Association’s men, I hadn’t really done anything.
Being a leader is both difficult and pitiful.
If I think about it, if I were still the Mad Demon from my previous life, I would have killed not only Nam Yeon Pung but also his subordinates and Jeong So Yi.
The reason I didn’t do that might be due to my sense of responsibility towards my subordinates.
Or perhaps, I am slowly changing.
For now, I couldn’t tell.