Episode 111. Watching the Spar at Oksu Mountain Villa

It had been over fifty days since I had shut myself away in the Black Cat Gang.

Aside from training in the Moon Shadow Heartless Art, I cut off all interest in worldly affairs. Since I devoted myself to cultivation without involving myself in Hao Clan matters, Cha Seongtae had no choice but to actually do the work of chief administrator, and Administrator Byeok effectively took charge of all duties related to the black faction forces.

However, the letter Cha Seongtae brought contained something that forced me to involve myself in worldly affairs again.

Because, unexpectedly, it was news sent by the Sword Demon.

The contents were brief.

“Myogaesan, Oksu Mountain Villa.

On the coming first day of the month.

A private spar will be held.

We limited the observers on both sides to two, but one seat is vacant, so you should come.

Originally, I intended to permit only my worthless disciple to observe, but you suddenly came to mind.

It should prove a meaningful day even for me, who has been so bored.

Come and watch.

Awaiting our reunion at Oksu Mountain Villa.

From the swordsman of Baekeungji, to the Hao Clan Leader.”

I read the letter again and again. The way of speaking, the handwriting, and the atmosphere all brought the Sword Demon to mind, so it was not a letter I needed to doubt.

Cha Seongtae asked.

“What does it say?”

I answered Cha Seongtae vaguely.

“I’ve been invited. I’ll be going to Myogaesan. If I leave today, the timing should be about right.”

“Will it take long? Should I come too?”

“It would be good if you did, but unfortunately, not this time.”

“Ah, is there a reason it would be good if I went?”

I nodded.

“I’m going to watch a fight, so just know that. Unless it’s something serious, don’t come looking for me at Myogaesan. And even if someone comes looking for me, don’t tell them I went to Myogaesan.”

“Yes. Are you leaving right away?”

“No. I should bathe first.”

Cha Seongtae’s eyes widened.

“Oh…?”

“What.”

“Is a woman fighting? Why do something you never do?”

I looked at Cha Seongtae and blinked.

“……”

Cha Seongtae lowered his head slightly.

“I apologize.”

I stroked my chest with my hand and murmured.

“Peace of mind.”

“Yes.”

“Peace like a river within me.”

“Excellent. Very good. Just like that, calm and tranquil. Like river water. Clan Leader, you are gradually changing as well. With each passing day, the dignity befitting a clan leader, the bearing befitting a clan leader, and the refinement befitting a clan leader are becoming ingrained in you. You look splendid. Right now, truly splendid.”

I was nodding along, but when I saw Cha Seongtae holding back his laughter, my hand went out at once. After smacking Cha Seongtae on the head, I said.

“Don’t overdo it.”

Cha Seongtae rubbed his head with his hand and said.

“Clan Leader, please return safely.”

***

After dressing as neatly as I could in my own way, I arrived at Oksu Mountain Villa on Myogaesan on the first day of the month.

As soon as I arrived, I knew who the Sword Demon’s opponent was from the martial artists standing outside the villa.

‘This is unbelievable.’

I saw the most famous uniform in all of gangho. Clean white garments from top to bottom, with the single character Alliance embroidered on the shoulder.

As I approached, the martial artists at the entrance asked.

“Have you been invited?”

After giving a slight nod, I replied.

“The Hao Clan Leader.”

At the words Hao Clan Leader, the martial artists, who seemed to have been informed in advance, opened the gate to the villa. Perhaps it was because I was too young. The martial artists looked somewhat surprised, but I paid it no particular mind.

I laughed inwardly as I entered Oksu Mountain Villa.

‘A public enemy of murim is going in.’

Even if the Murim Alliance investigated the Hao Clan now, all they would find would be information about us beating down the black faction.

It was exactly what I had wanted.

Oksu Mountain Villa was also a place I had come to for the first time. It was extremely spacious, as if it were the Alliance Leader’s country estate. Soon, a man who worked at the villa approached and extended his hand.

“Clan Leader, I will guide you.”

I went to Baekeungji and watched the Left Envoy shit himself.

Thanks to that, I met the Sword Demon.

And to think I would meet the Murim Alliance Leader this quickly because of the Sword Demon’s spar.

It must be the profound mystery of shit.

That shit had involved Moyong Baek’s medical arts, and Moyong Baek was the Poison Demon from my previous life. In other words, he had been a public enemy of murim like me, so the flow of life truly could not be predicted.

When I was guided into the main hall, the Sword Demon and Mong Rang looked at me.

The Sword Demon asked calmly.

“You came?”

“I came.”

“Sit.”

When I took a seat, that bastard Left Envoy asked the same thing.

“You came?”

I lightly ignored the Left Envoy’s words and asked the Sword Demon.

“Who is your opponent?”

The Sword Demon replied.

“The Alliance Leader.”

I looked around the empty main hall and replied.

“Why isn’t he coming out? After calling a guest here. The Alliance Leader has no manners.”

The Sword Demon gazed at me silently, then, unusually, let out a faint chuckle. The Left Envoy also seemed dumbfounded, laughing with repeated huffs of air.

The Left Envoy said to me.

“You’re insane. Is the Alliance Leader your friend? Do you think he’s the leader of some backwater mountaineering club? He is the Murim Alliance Leader. Mind your words and conduct.”

I looked at the Left Envoy with a baffled expression.

‘You were a public enemy of murim too, you bastard. I can’t even tell you, and it’s frustrating.’

For now, he seemed to think he was a member of the orthodox faction, since he was, for all his flaws, a young master of the Pungun Mong Clan.

The Sword Demon lightly ignored his disciple’s words and asked me.

“Have you been well?”

“Nothing much happened.”

“And your training?”

“I have been absorbed in it lately.”

“I hope I did not interfere by inviting you needlessly.”

I shook my head.

“For a spar like this, even if one were in closed-door cultivation, it would be only proper to smash down the door and come running. More importantly, senior…”

“Speak.”

“I heard you were injured, so why are you crossing swords with the Alliance Leader so soon?”

The Sword Demon gave a faint smile.

“If the busiest Alliance Leader in the jianghu makes time for me, then a leisurely man like me can only oblige.”

“Mm.”

“Not getting injured in the first place is also part of one’s skill, so I should accept it. If those two are stimulated by watching the spar, then regardless of whether I win or lose, it will have meaning.”

Suddenly, the Left Envoy stared quietly at Master.

I had nothing in particular to say to words like that, either.

As I rested my chin on my hand and sank into thought, I strangely felt as though I were incurring a debt to the Sword Demon.

Only then did three people walk out from inside.

The moment I saw the Alliance Leader, I was startled inwardly.

‘Whoa, that surprised me. It really is that bastard Alliance Leader.’

Since I had returned to the past, it was only natural that the Alliance Leader had become younger as well. But while I still remembered the face I had seen before, the Alliance Leader in his prime, in his forties, suddenly appeared before me, so I couldn’t help being surprised. Now, he had more black hair than white, and aside from his face having grown younger, his blunt impression remained unchanged.

Murim Alliance Leader Lin Xiaobai (林小白).

A swordsman.

A chivalrous hero.

The man the Cult Leader hated most.

That was about all I knew. Even his face, I had only ever glimpsed briefly from afar, so this was my first time seeing his features from such a close distance.

When Lin Xiaobai took the seat of honor, the young riffraff on either side stood waiting.

Lin Xiaobai opened his mouth.

“Sword Demon, are these two the observers?”

“As you can see.”

“Are you the second son of the Meng family?”

The Left Envoy stood and performed a fist-and-palm salute to Lin Xiaobai as he revealed his real name.

“Meng Ran (蒙燃) of the Fengyun Meng Clan greets the Alliance Leader.”

It was the first time I had heard the Left Envoy’s real name as well.

Lin Xiaobai nodded and said to the Left Envoy,

“I’ve heard rumors that among the young men of Baiying Province, you are the strongest.”

The Left Envoy answered at once.

“In Baiying Province, that is true.”

“Good. When will you join the Murim Alliance? I’ll have to give you a position. Normally, you’d have to take the Alliance examination before entering, but in your case, I can just put you in directly.”

“Ah……”

When the Left Envoy looked flustered, the Sword Demon cut in.

“Alliance Leader Lin, this fellow is still in the middle of training. Speak of it another time.”

Lin Xiaobai looked at the Left Envoy.

“Training is something you do regularly. Even if you join the Alliance, there will be plenty of time to train.”

The Left Envoy bowed his head slightly.

“I will keep that in mind.”

This time, Lin Xiaobai looked at me.

“Hao Sect Leader Lee Zaha, nice to meet you.”

I replied to Lin Xiaobai without thinking much of it.

“Likewise.”

“………….”

The atmosphere truly turned icy.

I looked around at everyone’s expressions. The Sword Demon was staring at me, and the Left Envoy was frowning with all his might. In particular, the young fellows on either side of the Alliance Leader were staring at me with slightly dazed expressions.

Yet Lin Xiaobai himself was not surprised. Lin Xiaobai asked the young man beside him,

“By the way, what kind of sect is the Hao Sect?”

“It is something like a local martial hall.”

“Are you sure?”

“There is almost no information on it.”

“I heard rumors that they dealt with the Black Path.”

“I will look into it.”

Lin Xiaobai asked the Sword Demon,

“Why is this friend suddenly observing?”

The Sword Demon replied curtly.

“Because his skill is outstanding.”

“If his skill is outstanding, shouldn’t I know about him?”

“He is still young, so you may not know.”

Lin Xiaobai nodded.

“I see. In any case, what will we compete with? Real swords? I heard rumors that you were beaten and injured by the Cult Leader, so don’t overdo it. We can spar from time to time when we have the chance.”

The Sword Demon replied,

“Let us use wooden swords.”

Lin Xiaobai nodded.

“Wooden swords are good. Go bring them.”

While one young man went to fetch the wooden swords, Lin Xiaobai said to the Sword Demon,

“If you lose, come into the Murim Alliance.”

The Sword Demon replied,

“What would I do in the Murim Alliance?”

“What else? You can teach the children as an instructor.”

“I refuse.”

“If you refuse, I cannot guarantee our next spar. Think it over. If you happen to win, is there anything you want from me?”

“Give me one elixir.”

Lin Xiaobai nodded, then said to the young man beside him,

“Good. If I lose, hand over the best elixir we have in our possession to the Sword Demon.”

“Yes, Alliance Leader.”

Lin Xiaobai said to the Sword Demon,

“It is cramped here. Let’s go outside.”

Everyone who had been sitting stood up.

As I went outside the main hall, I let out a brief sigh. No matter how I looked at it, the Sword Demon was not facing someone he could defeat. It was my first time seeing Lin Xiaobai up close, but I had the feeling that his aura was not on a level below the Sword Demon’s.

But it seemed I was not the only one who knew this; the Sword Demon knew it too, and the Left Envoy seemed to have sensed it to some extent, as their expressions were dark.

As Lin Xiaobai was heading out, he asked me,

“Why are you sighing, Hao Sect Leader?”

“Whether I sigh or not is up to me.”

“It is up to you, but I’m asking because I’m curious about the reason.”

Outside, I replied to Lin Xiaobai’s words.

“I sighed because it seems Senior Sword Demon will lose.”

Lin Xiaobai nodded with a calm expression.

“If the person you’re cheering for seems likely to lose, it is only natural to sigh. However, this is a wooden-sword spar, so there is no need to attach deep meaning to victory or defeat.”

The young man who had brought the wooden swords held one out to Lin Xiaobai.

“Alliance Leader.”

As soon as Lin Xiaobai took the wooden sword, he examined it this way and that. The young man then handed a wooden sword to the Sword Demon as well.

As Lin Xiaobai looked over the wooden sword, he said,

“Everyone, stand back.”

The Sword Demon and Lin Xiaobai remained in the center of the inner courtyard, while those watching withdrew to a distance.

Lin Xiaobai asked the Sword Demon,

“Sword Demon, are you ready?”

The Sword Demon lowered his wooden sword to his lower right and widened the distance, then stared silently at Lin Xiaobai.

Then Lin Xiaobai said to the Sword Demon,

“Take your time preparing. I’ll wait.”

The Sword Demon glared at Im Sobaek with his mouth clamped shut. Im Sobaek, as though his mind were entirely elsewhere, looked around the villa, then glanced at me and the Left Envoy. There was not the slightest trace of tension in the man.

With my arms crossed, I studied the Sword Demon and Im Sobaek in turn.

The Sword Demon stood utterly motionless, as though the world itself had stopped, while Im Sobaek still looked like a man lost in some other thought.

He was not particularly focused on this sparring match.

It felt as if he was merely accepting because he had been challenged, and even I, watching from the side, did not feel good about it.

When the Sword Demon remained unmoving like a stone statue, Im Sobaek opened his mouth.

“If you have anything to ask, go ahead and ask. You’re too stiff.”

The Sword Demon immediately threw out a question.

“Alliance Leader, when did you surpass the realm of the wooden sword?”

Im Sobaek tilted his head.

“The realm of the wooden sword?”

Im Sobaek asked the young men watching.

“When did I become Alliance Leader?”

“Four years ago.”

“Then the realm of the wooden sword must have been roughly five years ago. It hasn’t been that long. Sword Demon, you’ll pass through it soon enough as well, so don’t be hasty. Grasping it quickly is not necessarily a good thing. Learn it slowly.”

The Sword Demon asked with an attitude that set aside his pride.

“What is the reason one must learn it slowly?”

Im Sobaek nodded as he answered.

“Because the realm beyond that is far too long and vast. It isn’t bad to enter that place slowly. You may encounter the wall called boredom.”

The Sword Demon wore a faint smile, then slightly raised the sword he had lowered to his lower right.

“I am ready.”

Im Sobaek nodded.

“Then begin.”

Only then did Im Sobaek’s blunt expression change. His eyes grew a little wider, and his face held a slight smile. His stance was nothing special, but his entire body shifted subtly, as though he were breathing with every part of himself.

By contrast, the Sword Demon was unshakable.

I felt there was no reason for the two of them to prolong the match.

The moment I felt that the Sword Demon had moved first—

I could already see the Sword Demon’s form before Im Sobaek, swinging his wooden sword. The trajectory was simplicity itself.

Im Sobaek swung his wooden sword in almost the exact same posture. To me, the path of Im Sobaek’s wooden sword looked somewhat strange.

As soon as the two wooden swords collided, one of them shattered.

At the same time, the Sword Demon thrust out his left palm.

When Im Sobaek also responded with his left palm, there came a “thud,” and the Sword Demon retreated three steps.

It was an absurdly simple sparring match.

The Sword Demon, tossing the wooden sword that had only its handle left to the ground without regret, gave Im Sobaek a slight nod.

“Alliance Leader.”

“Hm?”

“I lost.”

Im Sobaek also tossed his wooden sword to a young man as he replied.

“You worked hard as well. There was no need for a contest of palm force, but you showed it anyway. Circulate your qi and regulate your breathing at once. Your original injuries may worsen.”

Im Sobaek looked around, then snapped his fingers once.

“Everyone, return.”

The young men, as well as the members of the Murim Alliance who had been waiting outside, answered in unison.

“Yes, Alliance Leader.”

Im Sobaek said to the Sword Demon.

“Let us meet again.”

The Sword Demon extended a hand toward the entrance.

“Take care on your way.”

Im Sobaek closed his mouth and turned away. As he headed toward the front of Oksu Mountain Villa, the main gate opened. The sparring match had been brief, but the retreat was the very embodiment of lightning speed.

The Murim Alliance Leader vanished from Oksu Mountain Villa in an instant.

It was an impressive retreat that left me with nothing in particular to say.

“…….”