Whisper whisper
The streets of Hangzhou were crowded since early in the morning and there was no room to even move.
The merchants were placing vegetables and such into the baskets, and the owners of the stalls were selling various things. Customers who tried to barter were speaking loudly.
People were already gathered at a small gambling table. It was to the extent where people who could not even be distinguished from others in lifestyle, gender, or education were gathered.
It has been so long since I saw something like this.
Seol-Hwi felt many emotions while walking the street.
The old life was all about risking everything and overcoming any crisis, while now it was the life of living among people. No matter how they thought about it, this life was better.
It was quite awkward to be able to enjoy this life.
The reason I wanted to be strong was to live like a human…
The miserable origin and the not so great skills—
The memories from his childhood were all about suffering to live. And he had thought the Demonic Sect would give him a better life, but that was unfortunately not the case.
He had to obey the orders of his superiors and had to give up on life, unable to understand what was happening.
Even though he knew that the demonic arts would take away his life, they were things he had to learn.
But now—
Why was his heart at peace in a life which deviated from his previous fate?
“Here.”
As he was thinking about this and that, he arrived at a three story building.
The guest house, today’s destination—
When he moved past the curtain of glass beads which was placed at the door, he saw people crowded in the wide space.
And he noticed a few things.
“Please enter!”
The server approached from behind and bowed to him.
“Do you have a reservation?”
“Well, they said I could come in if it was from Sleeping Dragon Forces.”
“Ah.”
The server nodded and said,
“You can head there. Please follow me.”
The place he moved to was the second floor.
When he climbed the stairs, he could see the first floor from there. On the second floor were the separate rooms on the left and right.
And the place where the server guided Seol-Hwi to was to the farthest one.
It must have been that the eyes of people are around.
Upon opening the door and moving in, the space seemed around three to four times the space of a carriage. There was also a space where there could be another table.
“I will bring the tea first.”
The server left and Seol-Hwi sat down, closing his eyes.
While he went there in silence—
“It seems to be going well.”
Someone opened the door and came in with a cold voice. Between five and six feet tall, the old man had long white hair tied at the back.
Seeing that the eyes were shining, it meant he was checking out the energy of the opponent, which meant he was a warrior which normal people would not look at.
So he has to be Taoist Myung Jin.
“Uh?”
And the person who came after, when Seol-Hwi hesitated, so did the other one.
The old man who entered first frowned.
“Someone you know?”
“…Yes. I met him at the Jong family a while back.”
“Tch. No matter how important money is, such things cannot be done. Isn’t this like getting involved with a thug just in name for the well being of the family?”
“…”
The old man criticized not just Myung Jong but Seol-Hwi. But neither of them responded back.
Tuk
Myung Jin and Myung Jong appeared, and even when Seol-Hwi saw them sitting across from him, he did not show much emotion.
He had experience, seeing a lot of amazing warriors, so because of that, he probably was not too shocked with the other person.
“I have no intention of knowing who you are and no thoughts of mingling either,”
Myung Jin said as soon as they faced each other, and before they could respond, he continued with a face full of displeasure,
“To meet someone like you in this situation, it will only happen today. Even this will be a stain on my life, but there are things that must be done so let us speak about it.”
Wheng
As soon as he finished speaking, something was placed on the table.
It was a cent.
And Seol-Hwi lowered his gaze.
“The best respect I can give you.”
Seol-Hwi raised his gaze again.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
It carried the tone of wanting to pick a fight.
This was not right. For a man who dresses up like a taoist, he spoke like a thug. And he felt that killing would not even bother him.
“If I have something to say… yes. There must be. It should be one of the two.”
Seol-Hwi smiled gently and said,
“Looking at how you insulted people you have met for the first time, it seems clear that you aren’t the polite kind. And I felt that you have no thoughts about the pain of a family which is troubled for long with the short devaluing words you said. And the coin, that is the best you can do. I also understand that you have the most horrible personality of an elder.”
“What?! How dare this thief…”
The man who was shocked was flustered and gradually turned angry. However, Seol-Hwi did not care about it.
“Thief… right, not a wrong word. I stole the pill from those forces. But what kind of thief would come to such a place to return the stolen goods?”
“You asked for a lot of money?!”
“Taoist, no matter how wealthy a merchant is, it is law to give some profit to the helper. And it wasn’t like the Great Virtue Pill killed people in Yang Gabo. You are the ones who caused this situation.”
“What? What did you say?”
At Seol-Hwi’s words, Myung Jin was shocked.
“Right, apparently they ordered some expensive dishes at the inn and complained about not paying for it, saying that the food didn’t taste good. That is why we men had to catch them and rob them of their things instead of paying for food.”
What Seol-Hwi said was no lie.
According to the information they gathered about the Sleeping Dragon Forces, these people would occasionally rob people, and rather they would do such stupid stuff like not paying for the food ordered.
And that is why they were surrounded and robbed.
“If you hadn’t been so clumsy in the inn when you went to visit, would this have happened?”
There are those who did not care about martial arts and were arrogant all because of their connection with Wudang.
It seemed like Myung Jin did not know, but the person next to him, Myung Jong, knew. Perhaps the reason he was getting money from the Jong Family was to get a reason to carry out the plan.
“It has nothing to do with us. And this problem ends when the pill is given up.”
“Then give me a reason to let it go.”
“Are you trying to play with that mouth! It is ours in the first place, give it when we ask for it!”
“Where is it written that it belongs to you?”
“You must have a death wish!”
Kwang!
Myung Jin began to release the killing intent but soon doubted his eyes.
The one in front of him, despite having all that killing intent directed at him, was looking at him completely unconcerned.
It was like he was the criminal.
“Fine. Then let’s do it this way. If I kill you and take it… it is ours?”
“Sahyung. That is a bit.”
Myung Jong tried to stop it.
“Why? That is what people like them do.”
“Then we will turn into nothing different from them. Do you want us to be on the same level as those people?”
Myung Jin was red when this was asked and sighed.
“So… what do we do?”
He decided to listen. What did this man believe to act this confidently in front of him?
“Elder. Wudang has a prestige that needs to be protected at all costs. It must be the same as those who claimed the Wudang people and came down now, right?”
Seol-Hwi bowed to them and Myung Jin frowned.
“But, even though third class people like us have appeared, if the elders of Wudang come down and simply get things without paying properly, people like us would never be able to earn the money which we once used to. So, for the pill, please pay the right amount.”
“Ha. How dare you try to use our things for money…”
“I am not being rude here. How can we place a price over something of the Wudang Sect?”
Myung Jin, who seemed like he was about to shout, went silent.
“And?”
“For now, I will hand it over. Instead, I would like to see the sword of Wudang. Wouldn’t that work for returning this back?”
“Huh…”
Suddenly, the expression changed.
What angered him the most was his own thing being sold at a high price. It was a situation where the most important thing of Wudang was being used as an object for profit.
But this guy says he will hand it over. It was a noble thing which could not be measured, so he said that he would rather observe the martial arts of the sect rather than taking money in exchange.
If this was how it was, then there was no need for Myung Jin to be angry. Moreover, it meant that he made a mistake.
Without knowing if they were trying to sell this pill, he came out too aggressively and just assumed, so if what Seol-Hwi was saying was true, then he could let go of his pride.
“Right. Can you handle it?”
“I am not confident.”
“Yet you will do it either way.”
“Right. I came to accept the value of the pill.”
Seol-Hwi’s goal—
There was no choice now but to face it to make himself aware of the martial arts, so he has to see it at all costs.
And if it was the Taiji Wisdom Sword, then the pill’s cannot be compared at all.
“I do not know what you are planning…”
Myung Jin, who had been angry the whole time, calmed down for the first time.
“Fine, do not change your words.”
They followed him to the back alley of the guest house, and then proceeded to a small but high up place.
It was not too high, but it is a place where people do not frequent.
“This should be fine.”
After walking for a long time on the steep mountain road and coming to a flat area, the old man moved.
And in front of his eyes, the rough trees and grass was completely removed.
Insane…
Seol-Hwi was speechless.
It was the sight of the man using his internal energy to change the structure of a place.
“What do you think?”
While Myung Jin was leveling the mountain, Myung Jong asked.
It seemed like he did not trust Seol-Hwi’s answer as the plan seemed too odd.
“As I said, it is to give each other what we want.”
“I know you wanted to see the sword. I understand it, but how are you holding the pill?”
“I have it on me.”
“You want me to believe that?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
When Seol-Hwi said nothing, the old man shook his head and spoke.
“…You will die.”
“It is fine. Then I can try again.”
“What do you mean?”
Just in time Myung Jin was done and turned his head.
“Now, show me the Great Virtue Pill first. You might be fooling me.”
Myung Jin wanted to confirm things. Fortunately the tool box could be opened, and after a little time he took the pill out.
“Here, have a look for yourself.”
And he put it back into the tool box immediately since the man might steal it and run.
“It seems right.”
Myung Jin seemed happy. It seemed that Seol-Hwi could not run from him.
“What you want is the Taiji Wisdom Sword?”
“Yes. That should do.”
“Kuak. Even if you die on the way, tell me first that there is nothing wrong with it.”
Originally Myung Jin did not want to mingle with such people. But when things got to this point, there was something that seemed to keep him moving forward.
“I declare to God that you will not be blamed even if I die.”
Myung Jin did not delay it, and when Seol-Hwi nodded—
Prrr
Energy gushed from his body, and his clothes swelled and shuddered.
Is the secret finally being revealed?
Seol-Hwi was nervous and raised his internal energy. If only he could learn this sword, it would be fine to die…
“Actually, there is no separate technique made for this.”
Myung Jin held the sword vertically and then continued to talk, explaining it in detail.
“Based on Taiji, it is a martial art which utilizes the skills at maximum proficiency. There is no way one can interpret it… first of all, let’s fulfill this promise.”
And he explained in a detailed manner for Seol-Hwi to understand. Seol-Hwi was a bit shocked because he did not think Myung Jin would teach him it so clearly.
What is with this kindness?
“I will show everything with this sword?”
Shhh
At that time, the eyes of Myung Jin changed. Of course, Seol-Hwi was shocked when the friendly air turned to a killing intent.
“…You mean just one technique?”
“No, this is the entire work, not a technique. The technique is hidden within it. It is the beginning and end of Taiji and one change is the same as many.”
As soon as Myung Jin finished the words, it seemed as if he could hear the howling wind.
“I will show you. The other side of the world with no money.”
“Huh…”
Only then did Seol-Hwi know.
Myung Jin had no intention of breaking their promise. He was going to show the essence of the Taiji Wisdom Sword in full—
With one hit.
And so, it was not burdensome to give away the true teachings of it, because he would be killed right after.
When Seol-Hwi was contemplating it on how to react—
One sword slash?
Just once, how much could he learn from it?