Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 31

Ssss…

War Sword Demon Wi-jong’s wooden sword moved slowly, generating a shadow that resembled a mirage. I found it difficult to follow its movement with my dynamic vision; the reason being that the mirage flowing around the wooden sword was an illusion created by qi. I had never faced an opponent who utilized such martial arts, so I blinked in confusion.

‘What? Ah.’

I realized at that moment that the distance between War Sword Demon Wi-jong and me had unexpectedly closed. There was absolutely no prelude; the distance that was initially two yards had suddenly narrowed to less than one yard. This was likely due to the principle of distorting the opponent’s sense of distance using the thumb.

Recognizing that it would be troublesome if I got caught up in Wi-jong’s footwork, I brandished my short sword.

Clang!

Wi-jong’s wooden sword and my short sword clashed in mid-air. A lightning-like aura released a formless wave. Normally, it would be impossible for a first-rate expert like Wi-jong to have his attack blocked by a child’s short sword.

Wobble

However, Wi-jong almost lost his grip on his wooden sword due to the counterforce behind my attacks. Although the sword didn’t break, it bent slightly inward, and a stream of blood spurted from Wi-jong’s mouth.

“Gah…!!”

Wi-jong managed to grip his sword, but his arm shot up into the air, leaving him completely open. As he stumbled backward, it took him a moment to regain his balance and catch his breath.

“Uh, huff, huff… What kind of internal energy is this?!”

“Did you attack with full power just now?”

“……”

I smirked, while Wi-jong stood there sweating profusely, unable to respond. It seemed like he was just waiting for an opportunity to flee. A common bandit might have charged at me in a fiery rage, but Wi-jong, being a martial arts expert, had sensed the latent potential in my internal energy conveyed by my short sword.

“Who are you?”

“As you can see, just a boy passing by.”

I stared at him intently as I spoke.

“Why are you looking for Namgung Hwan and Moyong Yeon?”

“Krrr… so even Beggar Sect’s has come out in the open.”

“I’m not them, alright.”

I finally protested when he continued to misunderstand me as a young expert from the Beggar Sect.

“I will not give up on Moyong Yeon!”

Seemingly no longer interested in talking to me, he quickly glanced around, clenched his torn sleeve, and ran off.

*Whoosh*

Just as he leapt over the wall, I also jumped up and swung my short sword at his back. But War Sword Demon Wi-jong skillfully avoided my attack in mid-air as if he were a fish, making use of excellent lightness skills. It seemed my attack lacked both power and speed, even though it was filled with Qi.

Seeing how easily he dodged my attack, War Sword Demon Wi-jong was indeed a first-rate martial artist. The moment he landed on the roof of another house, he quickly ran away using his springy movements.

“Hey!”

I thought I could catch him with my own lightness skills, but I decided it was better not to push it. Should I capture and torture War Sword Demon Wi-jong? He was not a common thief or a bandit but a martial artist from the Murim. Making the wrong move could result in severe repercussions.

Hmm, is this as far as I go…

I stood there contemplating the short face-off I had just had with War Sword Demon Wi-jong. It seemed like I had the upper hand, but that was only because he did not know my inner Qi and approached me for a normal duel.

In reality, his swordsmanship was exceptional, forming a perfect harmony with his footwork. His martial art level was something I could not catch up with. 

I still lack the depth in my martial skills. If I could use my inner Qi more efficiently, I would have been able to capture Wi-jong just now. At the same time, I realized that now was the crucial moment to make a decision.

I felt the Qi of other experts moving. Four first-rate martial artists!

‘Their speed…are they walking?’

This synchronized movement was no coincidence.

They probably subtly sensed the wave of Qi released during my skirmish with Wi-jong. Though nearly imperceptible to common people, first-rate martial artists would feel it as clearly as a drop of cold water falling on their heads.

However, they were not coming directly toward this location but walking. Most likely, they sensed something but could not pinpoint the exact location, thus moving cautiously.

‘Those guys are in a hyper-sensitive state, like wild animals. If I provoke one, the others will rush at me like enraged wild boars. Not the situation I’m looking for…’

I never intended to fight War Sword Demon Wi-jong in the first place. It only happened because he suddenly became aggressive. Essentially, it was just a brief moment of idle curiosity. I decided not to provoke the first-rate martial artists anymore and quietly returned to the back alley.

Moyong Yeon must be the name of Namgung-Hwan’s betrothed.

What did he mean by saying he won’t give up on Moyong Yeon?

Is War Sword Demon Wi-jong in unrequited love with Moyong Yeon?

Is he trying to take her away from Soaring Sky Dragon Sword Namgung-Hwan?

‘That seems off.’

But I sensed something was different intuitively. If War Sword Demon Wi-Jong had been moved by love, his eyes and actions would have been filled with desperate yearning for someone. However, since the first time I saw War Sword Demon Wi-Jong in the back alley, he had a cold face and seemed to be making thorough calculations. Moreover, his tone when saying that he won’t give up on Moyong Yeon was somehow different.

It felt similar to the greed one would have for an ‘object’.

After leaving the alley, I walked down the street again, trying my best to hide my energy. Normally, it would have been difficult to hide my internal energy due to the Thunder Dragon Breath Technique, but now the Mysterious Heavenly Divine Technique  made it easy. I newly felt it was an excellent choice to learn the cultivation technique not just for its mutual enhancement effects, but also because it made controlling the intensity of my internal energy easier.

Thud

“……”

I glanced back at a man in purple clothes who passed by me.

The man was quite handsome with a broad physique, but there was a feminine charm around his eyes. Moreover, he had a unique scent of yin energy and cosmetics. Above all, it was clear that he was one of the four first-rate experts I had sensed earlier.

‘He looks like a complete pretty boy. Is he also after Moyong Yeon?’

I stopped looking at him and naturally blended into the crowd. Regardless of how things would turn out, my curiosity had already evaporated. I’ve gathered the intelligence I needed; all that’s left is to retreat.

I’ll look into this matter next time.

From now on, I’ll only think about entering the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.

‘Anyway, what? Beggar Sect?’

This feels bad.

Before returning to my lodging, I stopped by a clothing store and bought some simple activewear. Then I started resting a bit earlier. Taking a warm bath and lying comfortably in bed felt good. Although I don’t feel much physical fatigue due to my enormous internal energy, it felt mentally stabilizing.

The next day, I woke up well and headed for the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.

“Let’s go.”

How will the Azure Dragon Martial Hall receive me?

As before, there were two gatekeepers standing in front of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall. Although they are called gatekeepers, in reality, they are second-ranked disciples of the Azure Dragon Martial Hall, Bang-il and Bang-gok. They are known as the Bang Brothers, and Bang-il, who has a chubby and fleshy physique, arm-wrestled with me when I first entered the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.

I didn’t really have good feelings toward Bang-il. However, after a considerable time had passed, seeing him again somehow felt more pleasant than unpleasant. In fact, compared to the hardships I’ve faced since reincarnating, Bang-il’s jealousy was cute.

I spoke to Bang-il, who was guarding the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.

“I’ve come to take the entrance exam for the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.”

“Entrance exam? Hahaha, you’re quite the clown.”

“Whoa…”

My mouth opened in surprise.

Shockingly, when I repeated the words I’d said upon my first visit, Bang-il’s answer was exactly the same as back then! Whether I was surprised or not, Bang-il’s words continued ‘exactly’ the same.

“Are you, by any chance, a member of one of the Six Great Families?”

“No.”

“Then have you built the foundation of your internal energy from a young age?”

“……”

I stood there dumbfounded, unable to answer. I had never imagined I would encounter such a situation. Who would have thought Bang-il would say the exact same words as before! It felt both strange and meaningful. It took me a moment to compose myself and reply.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s test this little junior’s internal energy, shall we?”

“Go easy on me.”

I’m not surprised anymore. As Bang-il stretched out his hand like a pot lid and was about to initiate arm-wrestling, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Let’s try to respond and act as similarly as possible to how I did in the past. I want to see if the reaction will be the same.’

Soon after, a brief display of Bang-il’s self-assertion led to an arm-wrestling match.

As expected, I won.

I could have won even with my pinky, but I intentionally held back a little.

*Swooosh*

“Heugh!”

“Enough of formalities, just report well to the headmaster.”

Bang-il went in. And then came out.

“Follow me for a moment.”

“Are we going to the headmaster?”

Here, the development slightly diverged.

“Yes.”

At that moment, I had an intuition about the laws of my previous life.

‘Something has changed. Bang-il is taking me directly to the headmaster, instead of making me take a bath first.’

The first time I came to the Azure Dragon Martial Hall, Bang-il couldn’t stand my shabbiness and took me to a guest room to bathe in warm water. But this time, I wasn’t dressed like a beggar, so Bang-il didn’t need to do that.

‘If nothing unusual happens, words and actions can repeat similarly. However, if there is a strong cause, the future can change.’

This somehow seemed like crucial information.

It felt like a critical clue that would affect my life at some point.

I asked once more about the odd point.

“Are we going directly to meet the headmaster?”

“Why do you keep asking?”

“I thought we would meet an instructor first…”

“Heh, seems you’ve heard something about our Azure Dragon Martial Hall.”

Bang-il spoke as he walked ahead with me following behind.

“It would normally be standard procedure to meet Chief Instructor Jin So-cheong first, but he went out to meet a friend today. The other instructors are too busy mentoring the trainees, so I have no choice but to take you directly to the headmaster.”

“A friend?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just follow me properly.”

Bang-il’s tone was harsh, but it wasn’t out of malice or spite. That’s just how he is. Having spent three years arguing and living together, I knew that well. He was the kind of guy who was hard to like but also hard to hate.

*Thump*

“Headmaster, this is Bang-il, a disciple of the school. I’ve brought a prospective student for the entrance exam.”

A while later, Bang-il and I arrived in front of the Reclining Dragon Hall, the living quarters of the headmaster and his family. Normally, regular disciples couldn’t even get close. Only Jin So-cheong, who is like a son to the headmaster, could freely come and go. But it seems this was a special case that allowed Bang-il to come up to the Reclining Dragon Hall.

‘I’ve never been inside the Reclining Dragon Hall in the three years I’ve trained at Azure Dragon Martial Hall.’

No, I’ve met and spoken with the headmaster of Azure Dragon Martial Hall fewer than five times. He was a middle-aged man with an incredibly clear gaze, more akin to a scholar. He seemed to have little interest in me and had delegated all instruction to Instructor Jin So-cheong.

As a result, despite being in close quarters for three years, I barely knew what kind of person Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s headmaster, Threefold Expert Lee Gwang, was. I’d seen him when I was at my worst, so I had no idea how skilled he was. I could only guess based on the occasional comments from Instructor Jin So-cheong.

“Come in.”

Me and Bang-il opened the door to the Reclining Dragon Hall and entered. A slightly spacious area revealed itself, and sitting on a chair was Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s headmaster. Near where he sat was a bookshelf, and he appeared to be in the middle of reading.

The impression of Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s headmaster was the same as before. After momentarily staring at me with transparent eyes, Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s headmaster spoke.

“Bang-il-ah. What is this child’s name?”

“Uh… that is…”

As Bang-il hesitated and looked at me, I disclosed my name.

“My name is Baek-woong.”

“Alright… Bang-il, you may leave.”

*Slide*

As Bang-il closed the door and left, Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s headmaster watched me in silence for quite some time.

Then, he suddenly spoke.

“Baek-woong. Did you come from the White Lotus Sect?”