episode_0041

Cheong was always confident.

But this time, she felt embarrassed. It was the first mistake she made since entering the martial arts world.

How could this happen to someone like me, who has lived so honestly and virtuously?

Actually, strictly speaking, this wasn’t entirely my fault this time either.

But it was the Taepyeong Inspection Office that made a mistake at a time when my mind was completely absent.

And then, there was that clueless young punk who scratched people without a care.

No matter what, this time was a bit too much.

Yeah. I must have made at least a tiny mistake.

My perfect morality has been shattered.

Because of that, Cheong felt depressed.

In reality, Cheong knew that her current state of finding joy in cutting people was far from normal.

But what can I do, it feels really good, but there’s no way to explain it.

So, she had been careful with her actions.

Only the bad guys enjoy cutting and tearing.

Cheong was just a little peculiar, ultimately just an ordinary person.

So, the solution at times like this was also ordinary.

A city full of bad memories, it’s time to leave.

Cheong’s initiative was the best in the Central Plains.

Because there was nowhere else to go anyway.

On her way, she stopped by the Taepyeong Inspection Office.

When the guard at the gate asked her about her business, she graciously handed over five pouches of loot.

“What is this…?”

“Oh, it’s for you.”

“…?”

What do you mean by giving a sword to someone who doesn’t even ask for it? And not just any sword, but five of them from different factions.

When the dumbfounded guard finally reached out his hand, Cheong was already far away.

“Wait! Where are you going? Just a moment…!”

Unable to leave his post at the gate, the guard could only call out to Cheong with a pitiful voice.

But Cheong was like the wind, impossible to hold back.

And now, the question remained of where to go.

Cheong thought to herself.

It seems like I don’t get along well with water.

I’ve never had a good experience near rivers.

Whether it’s the sudden appearance of the final boss or what happened here.

Maybe there’s some connection to water in my fortune.

It was a shame to waste the Yangtze River Pass, but there was no need to deny the wisdom of the ancestors who said that breaking the rules of fate would lead to misfortune.

Besides, Cheong didn’t have much of a history of traveling in a dignified manner.

She had always traveled on foot, but-

“Why are you following me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m following you. I just didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I ended up going wherever caught my eye.”

“Just because you have nowhere to go? You’re giving up a good home for such a silly reason.”

“Well, I’m planning to run away. If I go back now, I can’t guarantee my life.”

Two days had passed since the incident.

It was only natural that rumors would spread and reach the Namgung family, the influential ruling family of Anhwisung.

And the current head of the family, the Sword King Namgung Dae-ro, was a strict man.

If rumors of him insulting a woman in broad daylight reached his ears, there would be consequences.

Cheong, feeling puzzled, asked, “Ani, then why are you following me?”

“Cheong, you shouldn’t be so harsh. We’re fellow swordsmen. Those who pursue the path of the sword are all comrades within the martial world.”

Cheong furrowed her brow.

What kind of nonsense is this about standing up for comrades?

How can I get rid of this headache?

Then suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

Why should I keep the rich young master around?

And with that realization, she thought, Ah! I’ve lost my original intention!

I’ve hardly ever traveled with anyone before. But when I did move with someone, didn’t I benefit from it?

Come to think of it, where is San these days?

Well, he must be fine, dragging a group of women around, he’ll be able to breathe.

Anyway, it was worth enough to match with the rich young master.

He was too absorbed in Deryeon’s annoyance.

What’s the big deal about a few words here and there?

If you do it, that’s enough.

Of course, there was a necessary process before that.

It was establishing the right relationship.

The longer they knew each other, the clearer their relationship had to be.

He was in his mid-twenties, and it was not easy to follow him around, addressing him with respect all the time.

Cheong threw it out first.

“If you are pursuing the path of the sword. For example, you will become a swordsman.”

“Swordsman!”

Namgung Shinjae opened his eyes wide.

“I have never heard such a touching word in my life. Swordsman, swordsman…”

“So, are we going to be swordsman together?”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping for! Swordsman. Great.”

“Then, while practicing the sword together, do we really need to keep our distance by observing etiquette?”

“Hmm…”

Namgung Shinjae thought for a moment and nodded.

“That’s true. If you want, you can do that.”

What the heck. Is it that easy?

Cheong felt disappointed in his pitiful opponent.

But the disappointment came too quickly.

Namgung Shinjae’s nickname was the Small Sword King, and he was also known by another nickname. It was the sword fanatic.

It meant someone crazy about swords.

Cheong had underestimated Namgung Shinjae.

“…So the sword can be considered the most noble weapon in the world. When the Lady Gucheon handed over the sword to the Moon Country and the leader of the Palseon, Lady Yeodong, wielded the sword, it proves that the essence of the world is solely in the sword.”

“Oh. I see…”

“Commonly referred to as the White Spear, Thousand Days Sword, and Ten Thousand Days Sword. Of course, depending on the speaker’s relationship with the spearman or swordsman, the positions of the White Spear and Thousand Days Sword may be reversed, but it does not dare to threaten the position of the Ten Thousand Days Sword, which is difficult to achieve even after training for ten thousand days. This is to prove the superiority of the sword once again and to show that true swordsmen are different from other weapon wielders…”

Oh my, this is getting complicated.

The endless boasting about swords from the side showed no sign of ending.

Swordsman. The term friend of the sword had hit Namgung Shinjae right on the mark.

He thought he had finally met someone he could truly communicate with, which led to him sharing special thoughts about the sword that he held dear.

Geez, he talks a lot.

Furthermore, Namgung Shinjae’s praise of the sword had significant problematic implications for Cheong.

It was not just about liking the sword too much and being unable to control oneself.

The sword was truly the only weapon in the world, and the rest were not even worth considering as weapons.

Therefore, true warriors were swordsmen, and those who wielded similar weapons that could not be considered weapons were not warriors but weapon wielders.

He was making such arguments.

“Oh. Did I talk too much about myself? What about you, Sojo? Sojo must have a deep philosophy about the sword as well.”

“Well, um, it’s convenient, isn’t it?”

“Exactly! That overwhelming convenience, you can’t ignore it. After all, the spear is just for stabbing, and the saber is just for cutting, so their techniques are shallow and insignificant. On the other hand, the bow does not fit the will and purpose of a weapon from the start, and the whip is used for…”

Cheong cut him off.

“Alright, alright. We all know that the sword is great, so let’s talk about it some other time. Is there anywhere interesting to go?”

“Hmm.”

Namgung Shinjae rubbed his chin and thought.

Then he suddenly clapped his fist.

“How about a volcano?”

“A volcano?”

“I visited the Volcano’s Sword Wall before. I couldn’t express it in any other way than saying it was amazing. If you go to the Sinnyeomun, they will definitely share the Volcano’s Sword Wall with you.”

“Does it matter if the opponent is not a foreign student?”

“Even if that’s not the case, as long as it’s a soldier’s authority, it shouldn’t matter. It was the same when I went.”

“Oh.”

A volcano, I miss it!

When will I ever have the chance to see a volcano with my own eyes?

I’m worried it might be a bit dangerous, but they say this kid went and saw it.

And if the master also mentioned the volcano multiple times, it seems to be a famous school of thought. What was it? Gufa?

If a school of thought is established, maybe it’s not as dangerous as it seems.

How do you withstand lava more powerful than fire?

—

With Cheong’s decisive action, Nam Gung Shin-jae, who needed to escape from Anhwi immediately, had no time to hesitate.

He bought a carriage and coachman with Nam Gung Shin-jae’s money.

Likewise, he bought plenty of snacks.

And he also bought plenty of practice swords –

Cheong furrowed his brow.

“Why did you buy so many practice swords? Can you make money by selling them? Is this a specialty here? Is it a house known for practice swords?”

“Well, it seems that the Western Soldier still doesn’t know much. Practice swords break easily after a few practices. It’s much better to have plenty than to be lacking, isn’t it?”

It seems like a lot for that, but…

But since he said he would buy it with his own money, there was no reason to stop him. Cheong just shrugged.

Practice is definitely a hassle.

But if he’s going to listen to sword praises while getting his butt kicked in the carriage, he can’t help but think about giving this guy a good beating.

Well, just beat him up.

Originally, in practice, the difference in skill becomes even more pronounced.

No cowardly means allowed.

No targeting vital points.

And if you’re going to use a dangerous technique, you have to let your opponent know first.

So even if Cheong was practicing, the result was clearly visible.

A novice who couldn’t even properly maintain his sword and blinked his eyes in confusion, like a beginner in the early stages.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say it was more like a lesson than practice.

In that sense, the practice with Nam Gung Shin-jae was neither helpful nor unhelpful, but rather a mix of both.

So, it was during their first practice.

Cheong picked two out of the five sword forms Nam Gung Shin-jae demonstrated and struck them lightly.

Both forms were easily broken, and the defeated Nam Gung Shin-jae lost his momentum and disappeared.

Cheong pretended to take a step forward and tapped Nam Gung Shin-jae’s ankle.

Nam Gung Shin-jae winced and rubbed his forehead.

Ah! This is it!

Cheong’s left hand turned into a fist with his index finger slightly sticking out.

Master, I will finally make a move as your disciple.

Please watch over me.

Thud!

In that moment, Cheong felt a very strong sense of satisfaction welling up from within.

Master, you’ve always done this good thing alone.

Although the match was over, Nam Gung Shin-jae did not concede.

“Soldier, don’t be so petty! That’s cheating!”

Nam Gung Shin-jae shouted angrily.

“Huh? Me? What did I do?”

Cheong asked genuinely, not knowing.

“How can you use a different attack while holding the sword?”

A strange answer came back.

No kicking, no hitting below the belt.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about…”

“In a swordsmanship match, you should only use the sword. Didn’t you know that?”

Cheong blinked in confusion.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“…? Don’t people usually eat grass?”

“Whatever.”

Cheong retorted seriously.

“In a real fight, you have to use whatever means necessary, right? You wouldn’t say such things in a real battle?”

“In a real fight, you can’t help it. If my skills are lacking, I have to use other means. But this is a practice match, right? It’s training to improve sword skills, so of course you should only use the sword.”

“Hmm?”

Is there… some persuasiveness to that? Or does it sound like nonsense?