Chapter 67
**
“Ilma.”
Cheonma leisurely sipped tea as he sat on the throne.
The bitterness remained unchanged. But before asking if it was simply bitter, something sweet was placed before him.
Of course, it was inedible. It was food for the eyes.
Cheonma mischievously smiled at Ilma, who was sitting beside him engaged in work.
“Do you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard there was an intruder in Fengma Cave.”
“……!”
Look at that. His hands just suddenly stopped, didn’t they?
He tried to act nonchalant, but his movements stiffened slightly. His speech also creaked.
“What… intruder are you talking about?”
“I heard from Fokma Clan leader Na So-wan that the essence of Taeguk was smeared on the tip of the sword.”
“Wudang Sect…!”
“I heard the mechanism collapsed, and part of Fengma Cave fell apart. Apparently, some members of the Fokma Clan also died.”
Even though he was wearing a mask, I could almost see the expression beyond it.
Cheonma let out a sigh for all to see.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“…You don’t mean…”
“Indeed. Your deduction is correct.”
Ilma stood up silently. After a brief bow, he was about to exit the throne room without hesitation.
Cheonma asked.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m thinking of recovering the bodies.”
“Bodies? Why bother?”
“…Isn’t it your order that I take care of this?”
A sudden spark of killing intent. A frigid demeanor.
It felt as if he had newly sheathed a blade beneath his mask.
“If they are dead, I will bury them in a sunny place. After all, they’ve worked hard.”
“I see…”
“Could I take a few days off? Master.”
“Why?”
“I have somewhere to stop by.”
Cheonma casually inquired.
“If they touched your side and you touch back, it would mean our sect’s martial world is making an appearance.”
“I will handle it myself.”
“Just to ask, what do you plan to do with Wudang Sect?”
“I don’t need a cow to catch a chicken…”
Ilma muttered chillingly.
“I don’t even need a group. With what you taught me, wiping out a single righteous sect is something I can accomplish alone.”
“The opponent is the Nine Evil Eight Elders. If you go alone, you will end up dying.”
“I don’t plan to die.”
“Is there really a reason to go that far?”
“I’m merely planning to give those who looked down on our sect the punishment they deserve.”
Punishment, huh?
Filled with personal grudges.
Cheonma grinned.
“Well, if you have something to do, then hurry back. My little one will want to play with the puppy when it returns.”
“…Yes?”
“Huh? What are you waiting for? Why aren’t you leaving?”
“But you just said someone died…”
“The one I mentioned? When?”
Cheonma pretended to be clueless.
“What I said was that a member of the Fokma Clan died.”
“That’s unfortunate…”
“Fengma Cave is a place constructed with quite an effort, how could it not be unfortunate? Just think of how much money went into it. Ugh. I don’t even want to imagine.”
“Ugh.”
“Ilma, your teeth will break.”
“……”
Ilma quietly returned to the table. Cheonma leaned closer to her.
“Didn’t you say you were taking a vacation? What are you still doing here?”
“…It seems I no longer need one.”
“Oh? What’s this? The one who has never even uttered the word ‘vacation’ is suddenly saying…”
Hmm.
It’s delicious.
Cheonma licked his lips.
“It’s not a puppy, it’s a fox. Isn’t it?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“My brush broke. Go get a new one.”
“…….”
—Thud! Thud!
The footsteps leaving were unusually loud. Cheonma chuckled.
What a sulky mood.
It’s been ages since I’ve seen such a sight. Now that I think about it… for a moment…
“Hmm?”
Ilma.
Isn’t she someone who tends to sulk for a while?
“Ilma, you know I’m just joking, right?”
“I’m working.”
“…….”
The Guigok Yajang who was trying to find a suitable spirit for me eventually raised a white flag.
“None of these have even one?”
As the wandering corpses collapsed one by one when Guigok Yajang held up a strange lantern, the same sight as before appeared.
I had never actually seen a spirit. Only Guigok Yajang could see the spirits.
Is that why? Seeing him converse with the air made it feel like I was watching a lunatic.
“Do you dislike it? Or what? You’ve never seen one that smells this strongly of blood…? Aren’t you one of those corpses covered in the scent of blood?!”
After wandering for a while, Guigok Yajang ground his teeth.
“It seems that naturally occurring spirits don’t really match well with you. In that case, I guess I’ll have to take some time to find another way.”
“What way…”
“Isn’t it obvious? There’s a reason I’m called Guigok Yajang. You foolish one. I can use the spirits as they are, but…”
Guigok Yajang took me to the forge I had seen before.
“Mixing different spirits to create something new might not be a bad idea.”
“Isn’t that disrespectful to the dead?”
“Death and life. The boundary is so subtle that no one can claim it outright. Treating the dead respectfully? To put it another way, those guys are stuck here because they have attachments to this world. They will wither away in their selfishness here, and so, helping them out is the same. Can we even call the dead ‘people?’ It’s a difference in perception.”
Guigok Yajang picked up a hammer.
The end of that oddly shaped hammer wasn’t the typical sharp-edged design.
It looked more like a tool with a pointed end.
“When you temper the spirit, you wash away its attachments. It’s not much different than the process of refining ordinary iron. It may sound complex, but what I do is merge the remaining spirits to give birth to a new one. I can make an ear sword or a blood sword in accordance with your needs, but the essence might turn out different from what you imagined.”
“Are you saying…”
“The ear sword created from the new spirit will be like a newly born baby. Have you ever seen a baby that listens well? I certainly haven’t. Seeing how the other spirits are talking about the overwhelming smell of blood, it seems like you’ve soaked quite a bit of it with that sword.”
“…….”
Isn’t that talking about my blood?
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a villain or a hero. I’m not going to make this for that reason. What I care about is only how the owner accepts the sword. That is why I’m making you the ear sword. I’m curious about what kind of life you will draw when you hold that sword.”
“…….”
“But remember. Depending on what kind of blood you stain your sword with, and how you’ve stained it before, the ear sword will respond. It will grow by listening to the resonance of your soul and shape itself accordingly. What you will have from now on isn’t a complete ear sword but an incomplete one. You will sleep together, move together, and grind each other. Though it may start weakly, you will eventually draw out the power you want from that ear sword. Just as you grow, that sword will grow too. But…”
Guigok Yajang smiled slightly.
“There’s a reason why the ear sword is called an ear sword. The moment you think you’ve raised it right, it will target your soul. Every ear sword wishes to have a body. Even if it’s a newly born spirit, it will be more intense. Handle it well. When we meet next time, let’s not meet as Bi Cheon again.”
“…….”
“Three months. Just three months. Wait inside Fengma Cave. I need you to make the ear sword. It has to fit your body, so even when everyone else leaves, you must remain.”
“…Understood.”
Three months, huh.
I nodded. I woke the sleeping blood phoenix and delivered a letter along with it to Fokma Clan leader Na So-wan.
Upon hearing the situation, Na So-wan nodded.
“Well, if it’s Ilma’s orders, I have no choice. Three months… then I should hear the answer I promised earlier.”
“…Clan Leader.”
“Is that answer a refusal?”
“I’m sorry.”
“It can’t be helped.”
Na So-wan packed his belongings.
“But I haven’t given up. We’ll meet again.”
“……?”
As if he couldn’t stay in Fengma Cave for long, the Fokma Clan leader assembled his group. Among them were Yeon Guang and Seo Cho-hee.
Yeon Guang had a simple sword to repair. Therefore, he finished even faster. Upon realizing that the hidden essence of the lightning sword was indeed within the sword left by his master, Yeon Guang was ecstatic.
“This is definitely the right sword for me! I was puzzled by having so many gaps in the techniques, but this fills those remaining spaces! Brother!”
“Congratulations.”
“Brother. This isn’t a farewell, is it…?”
I pressed down on Yeon Guang’s head.
“We’ll meet later. Yeon Guang.”
“…Yes! This Yeon Guang will come running whenever you need me!”
“Run over on both feet.”
Seo Cho-hee had tears in her eyes as she leaned in heavily.
“Senior. Could you visit the North Gate at least once?”
“If I have the time.”
“I’ll be waiting for sure. Absolutely. Since it has come to this, we should set a date…”
“It seems the observation group is about to leave?”
“Hey, that was our agreement! Senior! I believe you will come!”
Goon Cheon-gye carried a travel bag.
“Thanks to my junior, I returned safely. I nearly died.”
“I also made it here thanks to you, senior.”
“Humility. It seems the clan leader has taken quite a liking to you, so if you’re interested, join the Fokma Clan. I’ll take great care of you!”
“I’ll carry that in my heart.”
“Hehe. Stay healthy. Let’s meet again soon, outside of official matters. I’ll pay for the drinks! I’ll take you to a great place that this senior knows well, so make sure to call out to me!”
“Stay healthy, senior.”
Eun Seol-ran.
The disciple of Sma turned and twirled around towards me.
“Three months. Does it really take that long to make an ear sword?”
“It appears so.”
“What will you do in the meantime?”
“I plan to learn how to control the ear sword and, as usual, cultivate martial arts.”
“Ugh. You’re a practice freak, aren’t you? Just don’t overdo it.”
“If life isn’t steep, can it even be called a life?”
“What? Are you saying you won’t listen to me outright? Huh? You like that, huh?!”
Her cheeks were slightly pinched. Eun Seol-ran burst into laughter.
“The offer I made before still stands. I’ll keep the position of bodyguard open for you.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Be careful, alright? Just remember that I’m now Sma’s disciple, and also remember that you obtained the Post-Mortem Rank in the Black Death Syndrome this time.”
“That…?”
“That’s to say, a senior like the heavens will have your back.”
“Is that so?”
I thought for a moment.
I gripped Eun Seol-ran’s hand tightly.
“What, what’s this?”
“Thank you for your words, but I must decline.”
“Huh…?”
“Instead, I have something else to share. Seol-ran, senior.”
Since I’ve only received, I want to give back.
That feeling is always the same.
“If you need help, just say so. I will run to you wherever it is. Just as you have watched my back, I will always be on your side as well.”
“…….!”
Eun Seol-ran looked down at our clasped hands. Her fingers wiggled and then intertwined with mine.
“You’re such a cocky junior.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Bad? Not at all.”
Eun Seol-ran let go of my hand and twirled around.
Her smile was beautiful. Very much so.
“Looking forward to it?”
“Of course. Senior. Look forward to it.”
Eun Seol-ran stared at me for a moment before chasing after her departing group. I gazed at their figures as they walked away.
I, too, turned my feet. Now I was the only outsider left in Fengma Cave.
I began with the practice I hadn’t done before. While repairing Yeon Guang’s sword, I took hold of the new blood sword he made for me.
The weight was lighter. The balance was much better, so it felt much better than before. How is the utilization of internal energy? The form of the extended sword technique was now firmly established.
The difference between a sword that fits well in the hand and one that does not is vast. Every time the sword struck down with power, the comparison became natural.
The contrast with the sword I used to handle. The Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword radiated blood energy. I swung it down at once.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Technique.
Fourth Form.
Flash Dispersal.
A single stroke drawn. The internal energy accumulated within the sword bursts out at once.
A long scar from the sword was sharply engraved on the wall of Fengma Cave. The etched trace was clean and sharp, unlike before, with no trace of power spilling over.
“…Hoo.”
It’s definitely different. The destructive force of the technique has increased since before. I only changed the sword, and yet this much! What would Ilma say if he saw this?
I lightly moved the sword. Being too sharp is also a problem. Even a casual strike I made effortlessly cut through a rock.
The blood sword touched by Guigok Yajang had newly forged a blade, blending black and red appropriately. It didn’t flow with ghostly energy, but that quality alone was strange enough that the craftsmen felt they shouldn’t see it too often.
“What the hell… A master’s sword is indeed different… Haa…”
“What kind of talent does it take to reach this level…?”
“I feel like I won’t reach it even if I train my whole life. This guy is like a monster…”
As a week passed, more people began to come to watch. They whispered as they gazed at my sword technique, occasionally dropping off snacks before leaving.
Some felt the sword traces I left and expressed their admiration.
“You truly carved the sword technique to perfection.”
“I wonder what path our junior has walked?”
“Now I understand why Guigok Yajang has taken a liking to you.”
“The effort is so clear that it’s observable. Even if one isn’t a warrior, how could they not be impressed by the toil visible?”
I enjoyed chatting with them. The craftsmen and I had a few things in common.
One had to toil day and night to realize something. Not everyone who entered Fengma Cave was a genius. Rather, there were more common folk.
Those who dedicate a decade to gain a single technique from a master.
I understood their feelings, and they understood mine as well. While we held different things, we walked together toward the same goal.
The limits of what is held.
How far can one go with what they have?
As I exchanged names, the numbers of those who knew my name increased dramatically. People who only knew one or two names now numbered over ten.
Even after the light conversations had ended, there were those who lingered beside me. Some even set up small workspaces right next to me, their passion bubbling over.
As it started to feel like a remote spot within Fengma Cave, people began to gather at the chosen training location. By the time we entered the second month, it was beginning to get a bit noisy.
With the rise of people came the activation of trade, and they’d scrutinize each other’s skills while supplementing their own.
This was not the street of masters…
But rather the street of trainees with limited talent.
Though the skills of the gathering might have been somewhat lacking, we all ran tirelessly. Day and night in the underground of Fengma Cave, we focused on what we each wanted to create.
By the time three months had passed, Guigok Yajang dropped by my location. Seeing the gathered trainees inside Fengma Cave, he frowned.
“You have some knack for attracting people, don’t you?”
“It’s just coincidence.”
“Hmph. A curious one. The ear sword is complete.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Before that, I have something to convey. This time, it’s those…”
Guigok Yajang’s brows furrowed.
“I struggled to create ones that resemble you, but… oddities popped out. You’d best see for yourself.”
