Void-Grasping Art!
He already knew his Master was capable of Void-Grasping Art. But moving a sword right in front of him was one thing; summoning one from a distance was another matter entirely.
The hall rippled with murmurs.
“Such a level of mastery…”
“Heo…”
But what his Master did next sent an even greater shock through everyone present, including Jin Cheon-hee. Another sword flew through the air. And another. And another. A total of five swords now hovered in the air before Zhuge Rin. He grasped one and began to perform a sword dance, his movements flowing in time with the music.
The Five-Elemental Divine Qi coalesced into sword energy at the blade’s tip. Zhuge Rin spoke. “They say lightning brings good fortune.”
A blue aura of Lightning Qi gathered at the point of his sword. As if painting a picture of State of Selflessness, the lightning gathered and then slowly scattered light in all directions. It was a bizarre, mesmerizing sight.
The Head of the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, watching intently, let out a stunned groan. “Lightning Qi is defined by its speed and suddenness. How is it possible for him to wield it so slowly?”
Jin Cheon-hee couldn’t understand it either. What was even more astonishing was that the four remaining swords were moving with him, each tracing its own different, fluid arc, following his movements.
Di-ding—
The melody continued. Everyone was struck dumb by his terrifying genius.
When his Master finally finished the dance, a picture was seared into the stone floor. What level of mastery was required to draw such a thing? Was it even possible to control five swords at once, infusing them with Lightning Qi? This wasn’t a simple matter of moving one’s left and right hands differently. Could it be done with intent alone? And how was it possible to express the principles of ‘heavy’ and ‘fluid’ with ‘lightning’?
Zhuge Rin had just effortlessly presented them with a dozen profound questions. Then, he spoke. “Hee-ya. This is you.”
It was a dragon. The dragon, drawn with pure sword energy, was so magnificent it looked as if it might coil and spring from the floor at any moment. To carve his disciple’s moniker with sword energy, in front of everyone!
Blood rushed to Jin Cheon-hee’s face. “Master!”
“Hmm? Does the painting not please you?”
This is it. His Master was already known for doting on his disciple, and now that his health was “upgraded,” he was no longer even trying to hide it. Jin Cheon-hee desperately wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
The Department Heads immediately began to make a fuss.
“A magnificent dragon! It resembles the Little White Dragon!”
“Truly, you are the Pavilion Master! To draw it in a single, flowing stroke!”
“To paint with sword energy! This will be the talk of the Murim!”
“Congratulations on your recovery, Pavilion Master!”
If one could die of embarrassment, Jin Cheon-hee would have bitten his tongue off right then. Ack. By next week, there won’t be a single person in the Murim who hasn’t heard about this.
His prediction was wrong. A letter from Wangya Ju arrived the very next day. It said that she absolutely, positively must come to see the painting. Judging by the shaky, wavering strokes at the end, she had clearly been laughing as she wrote it.
***
Arc 15: Welcoming Guests (1)
A few days after the banquet, a flood of gifts poured into the White Qilin Medical Pavilion. All of them were to congratulate the Pavilion Master on his recovery.
His Master looked bored as he skimmed a few of the letters. Jin Cheon-hee spoke with a bright expression. “Everyone is congratulating you, Master.”
To which his Master replied, “Hee-ya. In the Murim, there is nothing more frightening than a tiger returning to the mountains in full health. Those who were relieved, thinking I was on death’s door, will soon be drawing their blades.”
“What?”
“They assumed the heavens would kill me. Since that’s no longer the case, they’ll have to try and kill me with their own swords.” His Master smiled, a cold, sharp expression. “Of course, there are also those who never even believed I was sick in the first place.”
“But everyone in the Murim knows you’ve had the Nine Yin Severed Meridians since you were a child.”
“True. But, Hee-ya, some people simply believe what they want to believe.”
It was a rather grim conversation to be having while opening congratulatory gifts. Jin Cheon-hee just shook his head.
Seeing his disciple’s reaction, Zhuge Rin chuckled. “Still, a martial artist is a martial artist. None of them are amateurish enough to mix something strange into a recovery gift.”
“It’s not like you’re completely cured, Master. We just averted the crisis of sudden death and helped you recover your strength. The congenital Nine Yin Severed Meridians is…”
“Yes, Hee-ya. And in the Murim, that is what we call a ‘full recovery.’ As long as one has all their limbs and can spray sword energy all over the place, that’s ‘cured’.”
…I see. His Master’s ability to smash people’s heads in was no longer impaired. That sword dance he’d performed a few days ago was proof of a mastery he’d never shown before.
“Gifts from allies and gifts from enemies, all mixed together.”
“How can you tell them apart? By the price?”
“Hmm…” His Master rubbed his temple. “Fundamentally, there is no need to tell them apart.”
“Why not?”
Instead of answering, his Master just smiled. Then he said, seemingly out of nowhere, “Hee-ya. In the Murim, strength is the principle.”
Jin Cheon-hee nodded. He knew this intellectually, but now, he was beginning to understand it physically. Thanks to the bounty placed on his head by the Hao Sect, he had learned just how much in the Murim was dictated by strength.
Zhuge Rin said to him, “I want you to use the sword, but not to put your heart into it. A swordsman must be dispassionate. But your way of thinking is somehow… different from other martial artists. That is what worries me.”
“Master.”
“No matter how precious something is, the moment it points a blade at you, it becomes something you must cut down. Hee-ya, before we are physicians, we are people of the Murim.”
A Murim physician held a truly peculiar position. Unlike his counterparts in the old world, who had sworn the Hippocratic Oath, Murim physicians operated under a different set of principles. The pavilion itself functioned as a faction, adhering to its own unique rules. While they were obligated to save lives, the Murim system allowed for the existence of diverse principles within each pavilion. At the core of this system was the principle that the strong reigned supreme.
Physicians in the Murim often found themselves straddling the line between righteousness and unorthodox practices. In a way, they were among the most unusual beings in the entire Murim.
I’m probably still too arrogant to find that answer. Jin Cheon-hee had never seen the true depths of human depravity that the Murim spoke of.
“Hee-ya,” his Master said, “promise me. That no matter what happens, you will prioritize your own life.”
“I will do that, even if you don’t ask.”
“Is that so? My thoughts are a little different.” His Master let out a low laugh. For some reason, it felt as though the sound pierced Jin Cheon-hee’s skin and saw straight into his heart. Feeling strangely guilty, Jin Cheon-hee scratched his neck.
“Your answer.”
“I will prioritize my own life above all. I promise.”
“Good. This Master feels… about a grain’s worth of relief, then.” It was impossible to tell if he was relieved or not.
Zhuge Rin continued, “Now that word is out that this Zhuge is free from his Heavenly Punishment, his ‘heavenly punishment’, many will begin to make their move. You must move intelligently amidst them.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” His Master smiled, his long eyelashes lowering. It was a beautiful face, so striking it made one forget the ferocious martial body of a six-foot-three man. “In that case, pick any gift you’d like.”
“I, what?”
“A Master is giving his disciple a gift. No one will say a word. The prized Heavenly Silkworm Thread has arrived, as has an Ice Clarity Sword from the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“An Ice Clarity Sword?”
“Your eyes light up at the word ‘sword’.” Zhuge Rin seemed pleased by his reaction. “It is a sword made of Northern Sea Cold-Iron. Though made of steel, it holds the energy of an ice crystal and radiates a cold qi. It will be useful when you wield the Ice Qi of the Five-Elemental True Qi.”
Jin Cheon-hee asked, “I can learn the sword?”
“The spear was merely something I prepared for your self-defense. Ultimately, the sword is the most versatile of weapons. Of course you can learn it. If you master our sect’s arts to their peak, you can wield ten thousand weapons, and becoming the Number One under the Heavens is also possible.”
The claim of becoming the Number One under the Heavens was something most sects in martial arts novels boasted about. Their arts were the product of hundreds, sometimes thousands of years of history, depending on the world. That accumulated pride was irreplaceable.
And it’s true you can wield ten thousand weapons. Even the Three Talents Sword Art could be adapted into countless variations depending on the weapon. The only downside is that it demands endless, tedious training of the basics. Then again, if I were planning to learn it half-heartedly, becoming the Number One under the Heavens would be impossible anyway.
His Master, who had been writing with a brush, stopped and used Void-Grasping Art to retrieve the Ice Clarity Sword, tossing it to Jin Cheon-hee.
Clack.
The hilt was cold to the touch. It was wrapped in the leather of some unknown, precious beast, but the chill still seeped into his hand.
“Master, you shouldn’t be using this.”
“Indeed. Even with the Ten Thousands Years Fire Carp core functioning, it is best I stay away from cold energy.”
“Then why…?”
“It’s a matter of grudges and favor.”
His Master said no more on the subject. Instead, he popped a sticky rice cake into Jin Cheon-hee’s mouth.
“…”
Jin Cheon-hee chewed, frowning, which only seemed to amuse his Master. Zhuge Rin explained, “In the past, I killed the successor to the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord. At the same time, I also treated many of the Palace’s people. The Palace Lord told me then that his grudges and favor reached the heavens, and he would wait for my Heavenly Punishment to end.”
“Meaning he’d leave you alone, since the Nine Yin Severed Meridians would kill you anyway.”
“He was grateful I treated his people, but it is difficult to forget the grudge of having one’s son killed. And his answer to that… is contained in that sword.”
Jin Cheon-hee drew the Ice Clarity Sword from its scabbard.
Sreureung—
The blade was icy cold, as if it held a frozen mist. A beautiful snowflake pattern was carved into the steel. It was only visible when held to the light; otherwise, the pattern was invisible.
His Master said, “It becomes distinct when it tastes blood.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it was the sword his successor was carrying. I returned that sword, along with his son’s body, to the Palace Lord.”
“…”
This is heavy. The weight of this sword was too heavy.
Seeing his disciple’s pale face, his Master spoke calmly. “It is a peerless treasure sword. Northern Sea Cold-Iron is a peerless treasure. It would be a waste to let it rot in a storehouse, no?”
“This is a bit…”
“And there is nothing better to save your own life.”
It was always like this. His Master had a bizarre, otherworldly sensibility.
“Th…ank you.”
“Hahaha. Besides, it is difficult to see this only as a grudge.”
“Why?”
“The Palace Lord said he would pray for my ‘heavenly punishment’ to end. He never said what he would do after it ended, did he?”
He sent you his son’s sword, Master. Normally, that means he’s coming to kill you…
As if reading his thoughts, his Master said, “I told you, didn’t I? It’s meaningless to distinguish grudges and favor by the gift. If he comes here bearing a grudge, he will simply be made to pay the price. Hahaha.”
It was a statement only the strong could make.