Episode 5: The Human Sword Takes One Step Further In.
Even at dinnertime, Wang Suryeon was nowhere to be seen.
He was a little worried, but Jang Ingeom waited silently. Giving someone time instead of pressing them because you were worried was something people did not do well, but Jang Ingeom knew how to do it.
After the meal ended and everyone had left the dining hall, Wang Suryeon quietly came in.
“Chef Jang. I’m so hungry.”
Perhaps she had cried a great deal, for her eyes were swollen, but her face was smiling. To this extent, it was right to call it positivity; she did not seem to be the kind of person who would trap herself in loneliness and isolate herself.
Perhaps she was somewhat ready to enter the domain of the Sword of Perception.
Jang Ingeom prepared a meal. White rice steaming hot was set out with several appetite-whetting side dishes. Wang Suryeon, who had thought she would have to settle for scorched rice or leftovers, felt her chest tighten with emotion.
As she sat at the table having her late meal, Namgung Inhye, Ju Cheongcheong, and Jin Sohyeon came in. Without a word, they sat beside Wang Suryeon, and Wang Suryeon ate her rice slowly but deliciously with eyes full of moisture.
Wang Suryeon must have been very hungry. She hadn’t even eaten half her breakfast, and she had gone without lunch and dinner. Crying was also greatly taxing on one’s stamina.
That he couldn’t return the advance payment was Wang Suryeon’s father’s fault. There might have been other circumstances, but that was something Jang Ingeom couldn’t know. However, it was clear that Gwak Jagi was at fault for disturbing the members’ meal, and for hurting Wang Suryeon so that she couldn’t eat lunch or dinner. Jang Ingeom’s strength was thinking simply about simple things.
With colleagues like close sisters keeping her company, Wang Suryeon ate in silence.
That was the moment. The moment Jang Ingeom decided to take one step further in.
+++
After Wang Suryeon’s late meal finished, they all sat together in the backyard.
It was extremely rare for Jang Ingeom to be the first to speak, but tonight would be an exception.
“I… came from Jangbaek Mountain. I lived there my whole life with three masters. Very occasionally, one of my masters’ acquaintances would visit, or I would come across a nearby herb gatherer or hunter, but I never had the chance to talk at length. I heard there was a young monk at a hermitage on the neighboring peak, and that there were young trainees at a Taoist temple a day’s journey away, but I never had the opportunity to make friends.”
It wasn’t cold weather, but Jang Ingeom had lit a small campfire. He continued his story, adding well-dried firewood to the rising flames.
“After hearing my master’s words to go down the mountain, see the world, and meet and befriend people, I was a little—no, actually quite worried. That someone who had lived this way could befriend others.”
When Jang Ingeom paused for a moment, only the crackling sound of firewood could be heard.
“After coming down from Jangbaek Mountain, I came here without rest. I had set the Murim Alliance as my destination from the start. I saw many eye-catching things in the villages I passed through, but I didn’t linger there. I was only desperate to enter the Murim Alliance as soon as possible. I wanted to quickly meet people, talk with them, and forge friendships. Eventually, I arrived at the Murim Alliance and met Deputy Chief Wang Il, who somehow prepared a place for me here. That’s how it happened. How I came here. And how I met you all.”
Was it because of the quiet night that came after what had happened that morning, or was it some magic created by the campfire… The small story Jang Ingeom told calmly carried an important meaning.
“For the first time, I belonged to an organization. And I gained colleagues. Thanks to Member Jin, I was able to talk with all of you. I… wondered if this is what friends are.”
Jang Ingeom gazed at the campfire and looked at each and every one of them listening quietly.
“So I developed this greed. I hope Member Jin finds her cloud quickly. I hope Member Namgung shakes off her mental burdens. I hope Member Wang shows Gwak Jagi a thing or two in the martial contest. I hope Member Ju resolves the energy caught in her meridians so she doesn’t have to force herself to sleep. And I hope everyone passes the promotion exam.”
Jang Ingeom paused for a moment, as if questioning himself, then asked the members:
“Though I am merely the Alliance’s chef… may I strive together with you?”
“Of course. We already are.”
Jin Sohyeon answered alone, but they must have all felt the same.
+++
At that same moment when the campfire burned in the backyard of the dining hall at the corner of the Murim Alliance, Gwak Jagi and Hong Jabang were drinking heavily with beautiful courtesans by their sides in a high-class courtesan house in Luoyang, beyond the Alliance’s walls. Although they had ruined many people’s day since that morning, smiles never left their faces, as if something delighted them.
“Brother Hong, when I mentioned earlier that I had humiliated Namgung Inhye, did you see the expression on Lady Namgung Seolhyeon’s face?”
“Hahaha, how could I miss it? She seemed to be scolding me, saying how could I persecute someone from the clan, but her expression looked absolutely delighted.”
“Right? She was subtly giving off a look that wanted to hear more. This is excellent. I’ve found a way to score points with the direct line of the Namgung Clan… Soon I’ll have to trample that Namgung Inhye thoroughly.”
“Hahaha, who knows, Brother Gwak, you might properly form a connection with Lady Namgung Seolhyeon. I’m envious, Brother Gwak.”
“Honestly, I do have the desire, but surely it won’t come to that. She is, after all, the most cherished daughter of the great Namgung Clan.”
“What is Brother Gwak lacking? You are a disciple of the Great Gongdong Faction, and in the Gansu region, is there any family head of the Gwak family who would be second to anyone in wealth or martial power? Even if it’s the Namgung Clan, someone of Brother Gwak’s caliber should be welcomed with open arms.”
“Hahaha, Brother Hong is gilding my face. Very well. Since you put it that way, I shall attempt to win Lady Namgung Seolhyeon’s favor.”
After a few more rounds of drinks in good spirits, and while exchanging crude jokes with the courtesans by their sides, Gwak Jagi suddenly seemed to think of something. He stopped what he was doing and spoke to Hong Jabang.
“But Brother Hong. About that chef bastard at the Phoenix Terrace Dining Hall.”
“You mean the one called Jang Ingeom?”
“Ah, right, Jang Ingeom. That bastard… I don’t think we can just leave him be either…”
“I already stopped by the Internal Affairs Bureau to look into it. Deputy Chief Wang Il is a strict man, but fortunately I have a friend under him who is quite cooperative. That bastard Jang Ingeom worked as a chef at a place called Cheongsong Inn and is a recent newcomer to the Alliance.”
“As expected, Brother Hong is remarkable. How did you read my mind and think to gather information in advance?”
“Hahaha, did you think that was all? I’ve already sent someone to Cheongsong Inn. Within a few days, they’ll find out everything—from his family relations down to the number of chopsticks in his hometown house—so Brother Gwak, you should be thinking about how to bleed that bastard dry and kill him.”
“Hahaha, thank you. Brother Hong is truly this Gwak Jagi’s confidant and soulmate.”
And so the drinking gathering of an inhuman man and the parasite clinging to him continued late into the night.
+++
At the time when dawn was ending but the sun had not yet risen, Jang Ingeom and Wang Suryeon were preparing ingredients together.
It was something Jang Ingeom had proposed to help Wang Suryeon with her Sword of Perception training.
“But Chef Jang. How did you know that the sword I trained in was the Sword of Perception?”
“When I showed you the Nine Swords of Self-Defense and the Seonmu, I felt like you were reading the flow. I sensed you finding context and making inferences.”
He held a small knife, and not a single movement was hindered as he separated meat, tendons, and fat. Was this the skill of a butcher who had handled meat his entire life?
Watching Jang Ingeom’s hand movements, Wang Suryeon composed herself once more and tried to handle her own meat, but as expected, it didn’t go well.
“Chef Jang, you weren’t originally a meat-handling expert, were you? How do you do it like this? It is related to the Sword of Perception, right?”
“That is the case. If I had handled a lot of meat, I would know at a glance how the tendons were attached and where to cut without having to think. But I don’t know meat well, so an overall plan for handling it doesn’t come to me at a glance.”
“Then how?”
Just as he finished preparing one piece, Jang Ingeom set down his small knife and asked:
“Why is the Sword of Perception also called the sword of an instant?”
“Well. Is it not because one must grasp the flow of martial art the opponent unleashes in an instant and execute a subtle move to sever that vein?”
“That is also correct. It is the orthodox method of the Sword of Perception. That is why the Sword of Perception is usually unleashed only after the opponent moves first. Though it unfolds later, it must arrive before the opponent, so to the eyes of someone ignorant, it would seem like a swift sword. But what clearly distinguishes it from an ordinary swift sword is whether one rides the flow… The problem is that this flow is not your own flow, but the opponent’s.”
This was something Wang Suryeon already knew well. The only thing inherited from her father. It was an innate talent for reading flow, and she had learned how to sever the vein of that flow. That was the Sword of Perception Wang Suryeon had learned and trained in.
“But what if you meet an opponent whose flow you cannot grasp? They might be so inferior that they have no flow at all, or they might possess a force so transcendent that you cannot comprehend their flow… If it is a martial art pursuing freedom, the moment Member Wang reads the flow and unfolds a counter, it may have already changed to a different flow.”
Wang Suryeon understood Jang Ingeom’s words. But they didn’t resonate with her much. If they were an inferior who had no flow, they weren’t worth fighting, and if they were a superior transcendent expert, they were an opponent she couldn’t defeat anyway. It felt unrealistic, but she listened intently to Jang Ingeom’s next words in silence.
“If Member Jin Sohyeon finds her cloud, her sword will become free and its flow will change from moment to moment. And if the day comes when Member Namgung completes her Sovereign Sword Form, only the form will remain while the posture and style disappear, rendering even the flow meaningless. A master at the level of No Form Overcoming Form would be difficult to face with a Sword of Perception obsessed with flow.”
“But Chef Jang, that seems like a distant story to me. Isn’t that something first-rate, no, peak-level martial artists would worry about?”
For a moment, Jang Ingeom opened his eyes wide in surprise and looked at Wang Suryeon. Wang Suryeon felt puzzled about what was wrong with her question, while simultaneously thinking that his wide, round eyes were quite cute.
“Member Wang. The Sword of Perception is, in itself, already the peak. What do you mean, something only peak martial artists would worry about?”
“Excuse me?”
Even as she helped Jang Ingeom prepare the remaining ingredients, and even as she ate breakfast, Wang Suryeon couldn’t come to her senses. Jang Ingeom’s words that the Sword of Perception was itself the peak kept circling in her head. She had thought she was merely hovering at the edge of the third-rate or the entrance of the second-rate… Suddenly, she missed her father.
What Jang Ingeom was trying to teach through preparing meat was actually simple.
Flow was originally created by a continuous chain of instants. He was telling her not to be too obsessed with the overall flow, but to learn how to see the instant. See the instant and respond to it; see the next instant and respond to it again. When this was connected quickly and naturally, one would eventually control all flow. That was how Jang Ingeom handled meat.
A method impossible for ordinary martial artists. But the very few born with sensory perception could see an instant, judge it, and act upon it. Wang Suryeon was already born with the qualities of a peak master. She simply didn’t know how to use them and had not been tempered.
Today, just like yesterday, someone visited during breakfast.
But unlike yesterday, today’s visitor did not disturb the members’ meal or ruin anyone’s day.
Discovering the visitor entering the dining hall, Jang Ingeom was the first to greet him warmly.
“Hello, Deputy Chief Wang Il. Did your move go well?”
“Have you been well, Chef Jang? You remember everything. The move went well. Thanks to that, commuting has become easier. I meant to come sooner, but I was delayed. How is it, any difficulties?”
“Yes, I am learning and adapting step by step. The members are helping me greatly, so I am getting by without inconvenience.”
“I came to see if you were doing your job properly… Hmm, I suppose there’s no need to ask the members. Seeing them eat with such pleasant expressions tells me you are doing well.”
Jang Ingeom, responding to Wang Il’s praise with a shy smile, suddenly seemed to think of something. Saying “Just a moment,” he ran to his quarters.
He found the Alliance’s rulebook in his room, but tucked carefully inside the cover was his master’s recommendation letter, which he had not submitted last time. After hesitating for a moment, Jang Ingeom removed the letter and stored it separately, then returned to the dining hall with only the rulebook.
“Deputy Chief Wang. I’ve come to return the book I borrowed. It was a great help.”
“Yes, did you read it well? Nothing difficult?”
“Yes. I more or less understood it.”
Wang Il, smiling as he received the book, left Jang Ingeom with a farewell saying they would meet again, then also greeted the members who were eating with a polite voice.
“I apologize for intruding so suddenly while you are eating. I shall take my leave now; please enjoy your meal.”
“Deputy Chief Wang~ Thank you for sending Chef Jang to our dining hall~”
As Wang Il walked out the door, Jin Sohyeon’s heartfelt cry reached his ears.