A middle-aged man lay wrapped in bandages from head to toe. His brow was deeply furrowed as if something was displeasing him, and his body fidgeted restlessly.

“Keu-eung.”

As a groan escaped his lips, a reproach flew at him immediately.

“Don’t move around so much.”

“That’s not it…”

“Uncle Cheol, did you not hear what the physician said?”

Here we go again. The Tiger of Hengshan, Cheol Mu-baek, stared blankly at the ceiling. Then, Lee Sowol covered him up to his chest with a thick cotton blanket and continued.

“You need to get better as quickly as possible. I know you’re getting restless, but please stay in bed. Get some more sleep.”

“I’ve slept enough already.”

“You’ve only slept for one shichen.”

“Only? One shichen is more than enough.”

“You’ll only worsen your condition at this rate.”

“I’ve lived like this for over thirty years. I’m fine.”

“That’s because you’ve never been this seriously injured before.”

“…Keung.”

At Lee Sowol’s sharp retort, Cheol Mu-baek closed his mouth. She was right. Since mastering the Asura-Annihilating Fist, he had never suffered such a severe injury. Broken limbs and serious internal damage. According to the physician, it was a critical injury that would require at least four months of recuperation.

“It wasn’t this bad even when I met your father.”

Lee Sowol reacted to Cheol Mu-baek’s lament.

“My father?”

“Yes, that friend, Cheon-baek.”

“What happened between you two?”

“Did he never tell you?”

“I just knew that you two became friends because you got along well.”

“We did. But at first, we fought with our lives on the line.”

“You fought?”

Cheol Mu-baek smiled.

“What would two martial artists do when they meet? We were both young back then, and our competitive spirits were strong, so it was as clear as day what would happen.”

Cheol Mu-baek looked out the window. Thirty-odd years ago, somewhere on that high mountain ridge, the two men had met for the first time and fought.

“He said he had searched the mountain range like combing through it with a fine-toothed comb for three months to find me. He looked like a beggar, but his spirit was extraordinary.”

A master recognizes a master. Cheol Mu-baek, who had trained in martial arts alone, secluded in a deep mountain valley that no one sought, and Lee Cheon-baek, who had perfected his own martial arts through countless battles. It was the first meeting of two Peak Realm masters.

“He told me to become his subordinate. He said he was going to establish a sect below the mountain range and that we should lay the cornerstone together.”

“That sounds like my father. So?”

“What more needed to be said? We fought. And very fiercely at that.”

Lee Sowol let out a smirk.

“I see.”

“Aren’t you curious about what happened?”

“Is there a need to hear it? I can tell just by the fact that you, Uncle Cheol, have remained in obscurity all this time. Isn’t it one of those cheesy stories about men who, moved by each other’s martial arts, became friends?”

“Hahaha! That’s right! The match was decided in exactly five hundred exchanges… Oof.”

As Cheol Mu-baek, who had been laughing loudly, flinched at a sudden pain, Lee Sowol sighed.

“I think your condition is getting worse because of me… It would be better if I weren’t here.”

“You brat. Have you no pity for your uncle who is growing old alone?”

“If you’re interested, just say the word anytime. I can even set up a matchmaker for you.”

“That’s enough. What’s the point at my old age.”

Though he had said it himself, the taste in his mouth was bitter. Cheol Mu-baek thought to himself.

Right, I’ve gotten so old.

Since the day he lost his family, Cheol Mu-baek himself didn’t know exactly how many years had passed. Thanks to his profound internal energy and extremely trained body, he only looked younger than his actual age; his spirit had been growing old for a long time.

My only friend is gone, and the martial art I honed my entire life was effortlessly broken. Heh.

Only now could he finally admit it. The fact that the Tiger of Hengshan had already grown old. But Cheol Mu-baek still had something left to protect.

“Sowol.”

Lee Sowol replied with a warm voice.

“Speak, Uncle.”

“I want you to be happy.”

“I know.”

“It’s not too late. Marry someone you love. With the help of the Taiyuan Jin Family, you will be able to build a safe and happy family anywhere in the land of Shanxi.”

“What I want is not a family, but the Hengshan Sword Sect.”

A look of pity crossed Cheol Mu-baek’s eyes. This was the Lee Sowol he had watched since she was a newborn. Rebuilding and reviving a fallen sect was too heavy a burden for her, who had not yet even reached the age of twenty, to bear.

“You may regret your current choice.”

“But whatever choice I make, you will trust me, won’t you, Uncle?”

“If I didn’t, I would not have handed over the manual of the Asura-Annihilating Fist to you.”

Lee Sowol gripped Cheol Mu-baek’s wrinkled hand. She too was the daughter of a martial family. She knew what a great decision this old martial artist before her had made.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

At her voice, which had grown moist, Cheol Mu-baek waved his hand.

“I am old. I was in a difficult position to take on a disciple at this point anyway, so a good opportunity came along.”

The Asura-Annihilating Fist followed the principles of one-person succession and not being passed down to an unworthy person.¹ The intention was to find a successor with upright conduct and a good heart to continue the martial lineage. However, Cheol Mu-baek, the ninth-generation successor, had broken that principle and handed the manual over to Lee Sowol. Although she hadn’t been taught directly, she had broken the tradition passed down through the sect for generations. But Cheol Mu-baek had his own thoughts.

If it’s the Heavenly-Shaking Sword and the Hidden Dragon of Shanxi, they will be able to protect Sowol.

If Lee Sowol had decided on a political marriage, those two were the best options. Their talent in martial arts was beyond question, and they possessed the chivalry to risk their lives to fight against injustice.

Though I’ll have to see what their actual personalities are like…

If it worked out well, it was a path that could satisfy both the purpose of the political marriage and the traditions of one-person succession.

“So, by the way.”

Cheol Mu-baek continued in a suggestive voice.

“Which of the two did you choose?”

Lee Sowol tilted her head, feigning ignorance.

“Oh my, what about?”

“Don’t play coy and tell me. Is it the Heavenly-Shaking Sword? Or the Hidden Dragon of Shanxi?”

“I wonder.”

“They’re both about the same… but wouldn’t the Heavenly-Shaking Sword be better?”

“You don’t seem to like the Hidden Dragon of Shanxi.”

“Well, it’s not that I don’t like him… but…”

Cheol Mu-baek frowned. Even he, who spent most of the year in the deep mountains, had heard the rumors about the good-for-nothing scoundrel of the Taiyuan Jin Family.

“No matter how much he’s turned over a new leaf, a leopard can’t change its spots. I worry that he might drive a nail into your heart later on.”

“And the Heavenly-Shaking Sword?”

Cheol Mu-baek’s crumpled expression smoothed out.

“They say there’s no younger brother like the older brother. I had a brief chat with him yesterday, and he seemed like a really fine person. His martial talent is outstanding.”

“It sounds like you’re saying he’s a man who knows nothing but martial arts.”

“Hmph! It’s much better than womanizing. His speech and actions are very mature and carry weight. A man ought to be like that, yes. Indeed.”

***

Jin Mu-gyeong, with his eyes half-rolled back, grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and shook me violently.

“Get married right now!”

“Keock, keock!”

I was already choking because the tea had gone down the wrong pipe, and with him shaking my collar nonstop, I was completely disoriented.

“Let go, will you!”

“Asura-Annihilating Fist! Blood Wolf Sword Arts! Blood Wolf Footwork!”

“I get it, so just let go!”

“You foolish brat! Do you even know what kind of martial art the Asura-Annihilating Fist is!”

“Let’s talk after you let go!”

“One-person succession! Not passed to outsiders!”

“Stop it, you crazy bastard!”

A short while later, when I had barely managed to pry Jin Mu-gyeong’s hands off me, the inside of the hall was a mess, as if a storm had passed through.

“Hah, haah.”

I caught my breath and looked around. The table had collapsed, the chairs were smashed, and fragments of the shattered tea set were rolling on the floor. Just then, Jin Mu-gyeong, who had straightened his clothes with a composed face, opened his mouth.

“Ahem, I’ve calmed down.”

This guy was crazier than I thought.

I scrubbed my face with a less-damp sleeve.

“Is the Asura-Annihilating Fist some kind of number one martial art in the world? Why are you so obsessed with it?”

“It is one of the ten greatest fist arts under heaven. No, it was.”

“Was?”

“Because that was two hundred years ago. It’s a martial art that only remains in records, even in the library of the Heavenly Martial Academy, which has thousands, tens of thousands of books. But to think that Great Hero Tiger of Hengshan was the current successor of that very Asura-Annihilating Fist!”

Jin Mu-gyeong’s cheeks flushed red, as if he were thrilled just by the thought. I wiped the tea from my nose and asked.

“So?”

“What? So what!”

Jin Mu-gyeong looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

“It’s that very Asura-Annihilating Fist! A Peak Realm martial art whose lineage was known to have been cut off long ago!”

“The Ten Great Fist Arts Under Heaven from two hundred years ago, right?”

“That’s the one!”

“Uh, wait a minute.”

I picked up a thick wooden stick rolling on the floor. It was an object that had been called a table leg just five minutes ago.

“Do you know what this is?”

“A club?”

“You know it well.”

“What about it?”

“Maybe two thousand years ago, wasn’t this something like the Ten Great Weapons Under Heaven?”

He wasn’t stupid enough to not understand what I was saying. Jin Mu-gyeong’s eyes soon shot up.

“How dare you compare the Asura-Annihilating Fist to something like that.”

“Then what’s different?”

“That is…”

“Of course, it’s a much more valuable item than this wooden club. But is it still the same now?”

In the past, humanity fought with stones and clubs. But with the appearance of bronze and iron, they were pushed back by the flow of the times. The Asura-Annihilating Fist was not much different.

“Of course, it’s still an outstanding Peak Realm martial art that everyone covets.”

The one who had proven that himself was the Tiger of Hengshan, Cheol Mu-baek. He had become a renowned Peak Realm master in Shanxi with the Asura-Annihilating Fist.

“But the Asura-Annihilating Fist isn’t one of the Ten Great Fist Arts Under Heaven anymore, is it?”

Just as stones and clubs were replaced by steel, martial arts also evolve. I didn’t know what the current Ten Great Fist Arts were, but Jin Mu-gyeong’s expression proved that I wasn’t wrong.

“To put it bluntly, if the Asura-Annihilating Fist was such a strong martial art, he wouldn’t have lost to Pung-yang. And this is the most important part…”

I tossed the table leg into a corner and drove the nail in.

“I have no intention of getting married.”

“…”

“The person involved says he won’t do it, so what can you do? Right?”

“That… is true.”

Jin Mu-gyeong sighed deeply. If he had insisted here, I was planning on having a go at it, but he seemed to be agreeing surprisingly meekly. Though he still had a wistful look in his eyes, as if the manual of the Asura-Annihilating Fist were still shimmering before him.

This guy is quite the martial arts nerd.

Well, he was the one who had gone to the Heavenly Martial Academy because he wanted to learn more martial arts. Having discovered a martial art from hundreds of years ago that only remained in records even at the great Heavenly Martial Academy, he was bound to be excited.

Jin Mu-gyeong, who sighed as if the ground would collapse, muttered.

“A pity, what a pity.”

“It’s not that much of a pity. If fate allows, you might be able to get it next time.”

“You foolish boy. Do you think Peak Realm martial arts fall from the sky?”

“Really? They did for me.”

“Even at the Heavenly Martial Academy, where all the martial arts of the world are gathered, Peak Realm martial arts are strictly managed… what did you say?”

“I said, they fell from the sky for me.”

I took out a worn book from my robes. The four characters written on the cover were faded by the passage of time, but they were clear enough to be read.

Flaming Divine Palm Arts[1]

A tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and Jo Pil left behind a Transcendent Realm martial art.

“F-F-Flaming…”

Today was probably the most surprising day of Jin Mu-gyeong’s entire life. I gave a grin to the boy, who was looking back and forth between me and the manual with wide-open eyes.

“Call me big brother from now on.”