Episode 427. My Heart Is Now
Geoma lightly parried away the wooden sword of Yorani, who was rushing at him, and spoke.
“……A suspicious figure has appeared behind you.”
“Is he an enemy of Eldest Martial Uncle?”
“Hardly. It seems he’s targeting Jang Yoran of Ilyanghyeon. An assassin disguised as a merchant.”
“Yes.”
Yorani continued launching attacks against Eldest Martial Uncle that she knew would not get through, while maintaining a calm mind. Because she knew that if her mind were disturbed at a time like this, she would be scolded harshly by Eldest Martial Uncle.
Geoma spoke in a flat tone.
“The assassin is pulling something from his bosom.”
Geoma deliberately struck Yorani’s wooden sword fiercely, pressuring her so she could not turn around.
Geoma extended his wooden sword and spoke.
“Hidden weapon.”
After deflecting Eldest Martial Uncle’s sword, Yorani felt that something was actually flying toward her and immediately retreated backwards. In that moment, Geoma, who had closed the distance, extended the tip of his sword near Yorani’s neck, and at the same time, a small pebble arrived and struck Yorani’s wooden sword.
Smack!
Yorani wiped away the sweat trickling down her forehead and spoke to Geoma.
“I lost. Eldest Martial Uncle.”
Yorani looked at Second Martial Uncle, who was sitting in front of Jahagaekjan.
“Second Martial Uncle, I was the one who retreated first, but how were you able to accurately hit my wooden sword?”
Gwima answered.
“The truth is, I watched your movement until the very end, then threw it.”
“Hm.”
Geoma walked side by side with Yorani toward Jahagaekjan and spoke.
“If an assassin suddenly appears nearby while you are fiercely battling an opponent as you were just now, what will you do?”
“Even so, I must not panic.”
“Is that so? If the opponent before your eyes is so evenly matched that you cannot tell whether the person who appeared behind you is an assassin or a merchant, what do you plan to do then?”
Yorani imagined the situation, then answered.
“I think I would have to run away.”
Gwima added.
“If that opponent is a sworn enemy you absolutely must kill. If your heart is full of the desire not to let them escape, what then?”
Yorani pondered briefly before answering again.
“Even then, I would run away. Because I must survive to have my revenge.”
Geoma sat down in a chair and spoke.
“Words are always easy. But emotions are not. To think that maintaining a calm mind is easy is arrogance. There is a side to emotions that does not obey reason. When your heart is in turmoil, the opponent before your eyes is also formidable…… and if other enemies appear nearby, by what means should you read the situation around you?”
Geoma and Gwima gazed fixedly at their young disciple.
Yorani answered.
“A heart that is wary of my surroundings and caution.”
Geoma nodded.
“Then how does one train that?”
“Train that?”
“Yes. How on earth does one train the wariness and caution you speak of? Does its realm deepen simply by resolving to be careful?”
Yorani observed the expressions of her martial uncles, then answered honestly.
“I do not know for certain.”
Geoma looked at Gwima.
“Explain it to her.”
Gwima looked at Yorani.
“You must train it step by step; first is hearing.”
“Yes.”
“Before fighting, you must perceive the state of the sounds around you. It means checking beforehand what the overall sounds of the surroundings are like. The sound of the wind, the sound of water, the sound of crickets, what sound comes from the ground. The first step is perceiving the diverse sounds.”
“Yes.”
“What is the extended meaning of first perceiving the state of the sounds?”
Yorani answered.
“I must not miss changes in my surroundings. Even smells.”
Gwima nodded.
“Correct. But the starting point is hearing. To a martial artist, hearing is the second eye. You must perceive even the ambient noise as a consistent flow, and when that flow is disturbed, you must take heed.”
“I understand.”
Gwima calmly explained.
“The five senses, including hearing, only grow keen and deepen in realm when you are aware of them. If you swing the wooden sword thoughtlessly, you come to rely on habit and inertia. If you postpone such things, thinking you will train them separately later, that very thing hardens into a bad habit.”
“I will take it to heart.”
“Think over what you heard from your martial uncles today repeatedly. To make it your own, you have no choice but to contemplate and establish it.”
“Understood.”
Geoma nodded.
“Good. Since I have conveyed something quite difficult today, we will stop here for now. Yorani, go up first.”
“Yes, Eldest Martial Uncle. Second Martial Uncle.”
After Yorani disappeared, Geoma and Gwima sat side by side for a moment, admiring the peaceful sky and the scenery of Ilyanghyeon.
Geoma asked subtly.
“……Did I teach her something too difficult?”
Gwima smiled.
“No. She will strive to understand. Because she is clever.”
“If she trains her hearing and the five senses already, she will become hypersensitive. That sensitivity might bring insomnia. I wondered if it was too early.”
“We must emphasize and teach that sleeping well is also part of training. Come to think of it, there is a mountain of things to teach.”
“How is it? Yorani’s aptitude.”
“What does Elder Brother think?”
Geoma stared blankly ahead and spoke.
“Since she is learning from us anyway, I had thought it would be nice if she possessed outstanding aptitude, but now it matters not. I keep seeing her grow noticeably with each passing day……”
“Yes.”
“I think I now understand why the fathers of the world dote so much.”
“Is that so?”
Geoma, who had been looking at Ilyanghyeon, spoke to Gwima in a comfortable tone.
“You seemed to be worrying over it for several days; if your resolve is firm, you should leave soon.”
“Did you notice?”
“If your resolve is firm, you must move.”
Gwima spoke in a calm tone.
“Elder Brother, when I stay still like this, I sometimes recall the expression on Third Brother’s face on the day he tried to kill me. What can I call that expression? I could not help but think that I was surely—eight or nine times out of ten—going to die at his hands. That was a day when it would not have been strange had I died.”
“Remarkable that you survived.”
“Third Brother must have been wavering too. Whether to kill me or not. That inner conflict was plainly visible in his expression. Then time passed, and the four of us traveled the martial world. Training, fighting, and fighting again. Training again. But Elder Brother, those days were opportunities newly granted to me. A chance to live a life unlike before……”
Geoma nodded.
“I understand. I am not so different myself.”
The Ghost Demon smiled faintly.
“Surprisingly, there was not a single day I did not enjoy. Even when I was training under Senior Cheonak, training that was nearly torture. If I return having grown this strong, everyone will be pleased. I was able to endure by thinking that. However.”
“Mm.”
“Does living like this erase the wrongs Master Liuhe accumulated in the old days?”
“We all lived disgracefully, so there is no need to blame yourself too much.”
“Rather than simple self-reproach, my feelings are complicated. I will go to Mount Zhongnan, which Third Brother often spoke of, and subdue the area with my skill. I will try to perform good deeds, even if I must force them into being. And once there is no rival left in the area, I will find a disciple and make him a great grandmaster of the next era.”
“What connection is there between making a disciple a great grandmaster and doing good deeds?”
“Only by washing away, even a little, the disgrace attached to the sobriquet Master Liuhe will a good disciple come looking, will he not?”
“……Do you intend to establish a sect as well?”
“That role is not one for me to bear.”
“Only as a patron?”
“Yes. I cannot stand at the forefront. The reason I hesitated even after making this resolution was that I wondered whether it was right to leave you here, Elder Brother.”
The Sword Demon smiled faintly.
“You are the one who will suffer. What could possibly happen to me? Even if something does happen, my evil reputation will merely spread a little farther around here.”
“Will you truly be fine remaining only in Ilyang County like this?”
The Sword Demon nodded.
“Until you all have leisure again, I will look after Yoran. I will teach Yoran qinggong, and on the day the two of us enter the jianghu, we will storm Mount Zhongnan as well…… So you focus on disciples in Zhongnan, and I will focus on disciples here.”
“Elder Brother, once Yoran’s qinggong improves, go to Manjang Cliff first. The spiritual medicine remaining there belongs to Yoran.”
“Very well. I have not forgotten that place either.”
“Have you become free of demonic deviation?”
The Sword Demon looked at the Ghost Demon.
“Demonic deviation, you say? I do not even remember it. The killing intent that used to rise as if it were only natural ruled me for a long time. Now my heart is wholly my own.”
The two smiled faintly at the same time.
Suddenly, both of them turned their heads at once and looked ahead. An old man who had appeared for the first time in a while approached and spoke to the Sword Demon and Ghost Demon.
“Swordsmen, it has been a while.”
The Sword Demon replied.
“Old sir, how is retirement treating you?”
The Ghost Demon rose alone and offered his respects to the Beggars’ Sect Leader, who had appeared so suddenly.
“Elder, it has been a long time.”
The Beggars’ Sect Leader answered the Ghost Demon’s greeting with a gesture, then replied to the Sword Demon.
“What would be different about retirement? I am always the same. Still, thanks to you all, my sleeping arrangements have become a little more comfortable.”
Divine Beggar, the Beggars’ Sect Leader, looked around Zaha Inn.
“……So this is the place. To think I would hear talk of food from that wretched mouth of the cult leader. A man truly has to live long and see.”
The Ghost Demon said,
“Unfortunately, the Hao Clan Leader is not here right now.”
Divine Beggar nodded.
“I know. I came to cadge a meal. How could I not eat the food that bastard cult leader mentioned?”
The Ghost Demon brought over a chair, set it down, and said,
“Please sit for now, Senior.”
Divine Beggar sat side by side with the juniors and swept his gaze once over the scenery of Ilyang County.
“It is quieter than I expected. I thought it would be bustling, taking after that chattering sect leader who prattles so well.”
The Ghost Demon answered,
“It probably was in the past.”
Divine Beggar chuckled.
“Now it seems to have turned into a town where everyone is so wary of the Sword Demon that they are careful even with the sound of their breathing.”
The Sword Demon replied,
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
“That depends on how the listener takes it. More importantly, what is the name of this food I came to receive?”
“It would be Zaha Inn’s whole pork bones.”
Before even seeing the food, Divine Beggar smacked his lips.
“It sounds delicious just from the name.”
The Sword Demon spoke toward Zaha Inn.
“Yoran, come down for a moment.”
Yoran’s voice was heard first from somewhere.
“Yes, Great Master.”
Soon after, there came a great clattering, and Yoran appeared, having descended the stairs at tremendous speed.
The Sword Demon abruptly introduced the Beggars’ Sect Leader to his young disciple.
“He is a great senior of the jianghu and the leader of the Beggars’ Sect. Pay your respects.”
Yoran stared intently at the old beggar before him, then hurriedly bowed his head.
“My name is Jang Yoran.”
Divine Beggar nodded.
“Good. This old man is a beggar of the Beggars’ Sect. But we could have exchanged greetings gradually. What is your intention in introducing me so hastily?”
The Sword Demon said with a solemn expression,
“Sect Leader, it seems you drooled all the way from the Beggars’ Sect to Ilyang County thinking the whole pork bones would be free. But that is not so.”
Divine Beggar widened his eyes and asked back with an expression of disbelief.
“Drooled all the way? What kind of outrageous nonsense is that? I did swallow my saliva now and then as I came, but you should speak properly.”
“It does not seem proper to take money from the commander-in-chief of all beggars, but you should at least earn your meal. Sect Leader.”
“Hahahaha. What a highway robber.”
After laughing while clutching his belly, Divine Beggar beckoned to Yoran.
“Yoran, come here. This old man has something to examine.”
Yoran did not move right away and instead looked to his Great Master for permission. Only when the Sword Demon nodded did Yoran stand before Divine Beggar.
Divine Beggar lightly held Yoran’s wrist and said,
“……You have already entered the path?”
“Yes.”
“You learned it far too quickly. How far do you intend to learn this martial art?”
Yoran did not understand the intent of the question and answered with a puzzled expression.
“To the end.”
“Mm.”
After pondering something carefully, Divine Beggar said to the Sword Demon,
“I will not ask where the martial art came from. Even if it is a martial art suited to his constitution, the point at which he began learning the heart method seems too early.”
“Is that so? I have kept it in mind and have been teaching him exceedingly slowly.”
“That is of no use. It is because he learned it while your young disciple’s body and organs are still growing. Do you understand what I mean?”
The Sword Demon nodded.
“I think I do.”
“It is a martial art from a different place than the orthodox path, so there are aspects that cannot be helped. Therefore, I cannot predict the timing precisely, but once or twice, an intense chill will surge through him, and he will suffer greatly. I do not say this because I am a prophet. Cold-natured martial arts are originally like that.”
The Sword Demon asked in a serious tone.
“In truth, it was something I had been somewhat wary of because of Mongrang. But since Yoran is a woman, I expected she would not suffer the deep internal injuries Mongrang did.”
“Yes, it can be different. But as I said, the problem is when she began. It is probably because she entered the path at an even younger age than Mongrang. Her body had to endure the cold energy while it was still growing. To use an analogy, it is like falling asleep in the dead of winter with every door thrown wide open. It may be fine for a day or two, but when her body weakens from growing pains, it will inevitably lead to internal injury. The main house that created this martial art must have had all manner of countermeasures, but Mongrang likely did not learn that far. Either that, or she should have begun with an orthodox art from the start, built up extreme yang energy, and only then learned it……”
The Sword Demon and the Ghost Demon listened in silence.
The Divine Beggar looked at Yoran and said,
“Your master, the Haomun Sect Leader.”
“Yes.”
“He likely cultivated extreme yang first, and afterward acquired extreme yin. I do not know who taught him, but this is the proper order for accepting yin and yang.”
Yoran answered briefly.
“Yes.”
“Yoran, in martial arts, learning slowly and in proper order is, in truth, the fastest way to learn. Bear that in mind.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
“I have seen many people swear they would keep it in mind, only to slip down a side path.”
“Yes.”
The Sword Demon asked,
“Senior, what should we do?”
The Divine Beggar scratched the back of his head in thought, then said,
“If any signs appear, bring her to the Beggar Gang. I will personally regulate the cold energy for her. In terms of martial attainment, Jaha could likely do it as well, but when it comes to treating internal injuries or cleanly erasing cold energy from the body, he will have less experience than I do. Do you understand what I mean?”
Only then did the Sword Demon nod with a satisfied expression and speak to Yoran.
“Yoran.”
“Yes, Grandmaster.”
“Though he says he has retired, he is the leader of the Beggar Gang, one of the Three Talents of the jianghu, a man whose fame stands alongside the Cult Leader’s, and still a great senior of the martial world with few rivals under heaven.”
The Divine Beggar looked at the Sword Demon with an incredulous expression.
“……”
The Sword Demon continued.
“He is the one who will treat the internal injuries and cold poison you are bound to suffer in the future, so even if you were to honor him here as both your benefactor and your Great-Grandmaster, it would not be excessive. Pay him the proper respect you would show your masters.”
Jang Yoran took a step back in surprise, then bowed to the leader of the Beggar Gang.
“This young disciple, Jang Yoran, greets Great-Grandmaster.”
Quick-witted Yoran kept her forehead pressed to the ground and did not rise. At that, the Divine Beggar let out a short sigh.
“Rise. That ambush and joint attack were quite something.”
“Yes.”
“Master and disciple are perfectly in tune. To think you even made me accept a bow. I have been had, utterly. If you feel that the cold energy spreading through your body is different from usual, be sure to come find me together with your masters. When severe cold energy comes upon you, even sleeping will become painful. This is not because you are unlucky; it is a hardship most people of the jianghu often face. No matter what martial art one learns, crises and critical junctures are bound to come, so there is no need to feel wronged. Orthodox arts have their own frustrations as well, and that path is just as much a thorny road of qi deviation.”
“Yes, Gang Leader.”
The Divine Beggar looked around at the band of swindlers and said,
“So…… will you give me some food now? I have more than earned my meal. It is rare for a beggar to earn his keep to this extent.”
The Sword Demon gestured toward the inside of Jaha Guesthouse and spoke in a tone that had softened considerably.
“Senior, let us go in.”
“It is hard to get one free meal. This is no ordinary neighborhood. What did you say this town was called?”
Yoran answered spiritedly.
“Ilyang County.”
“I will not forget it. I have lived my entire life as a beggar, but even for me, this is the first time a meal has cost this much. Let us go in.”
The leader of the Beggar Gang burst into a hearty laugh.
As soon as the Ghost Demon met his eldest brother’s eyes, he quietly raised his thumb.
Seeing the Ghost Demon’s thumb, the Sword Demon nodded with the same solemn expression as ever.
“Let us go in.”
After sending the others in first, the Sword Demon turned around as if from long habit and briefly used all five senses to check whether any ominous atmosphere could be detected nearby.
“……”
After confirming that Ilyang County was no different from usual……
The Sword Demon also entered Jaha Guesthouse.