I felt like I was back in high school. Like I had been caught by the dean of students while trying to escape from evening self-study. Of course, the level of despair was incomparable to that time. Because the person holding my ear right now wasn’t the dean, but the Fire King.
Squeeze.
“Ack, aaah! That hurts! I just heard a weird noise from my ear!”
Jeok Cheon-kang glared.
“Shall I make it so you can never hear again?”
Judging by his words and actions so far, he was more than capable of doing it. I kept my mouth firmly shut and let my feet move as Jeok Cheon-kang’s hand led me.
“Sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sat on a crude wooden chair and surveyed the surroundings. The inn’s interior was old and dimly lit. The owner was nowhere to be seen, and a waiter who looked to be about twenty was dozing off at a table near the entrance.
Dammit, there aren’t even any other customers.
It seemed I had been unconscious for longer than I thought. There were only four people on the first floor. The dozing waiter, me, Jeok Cheon-kang, and Cheong Pung, who was already dead drunk and sleeping with his face on the table, drooling. It was the perfect environment to die without a single soul knowing.
‘No. They say if you just keep your wits about you, you can survive even in a tiger’s den.’
Still, I had to take out some life insurance just in case. However, the only brake that could stop Jeok Cheon-kang was currently snoring away.
‘Cheong Pung, at least this guy has to be awake for me to live.’
It was at that moment, as I stealthily stretched my leg under the table to step on Cheong Pung’s foot.
“Let him sleep.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, let him be. Don’t bother a sleeping kid for no reason.”
This is beyond a ghost.
There was no sound, nor did I make any big movements, yet he saw right through what was happening under the table.
“Your answer?”
“…I will stay still.”
“You’re not a completely clueless fellow. Your lifeline will be a long one.”
Jeok Cheon-kang muttered something that could be either a compliment or a curse and tilted his wine bottle. With every drop that slowly filled the empty cup, the smell of cheap liquor stung my nose.
“I have something to ask you.”
“About the Grand Elder, no, my granduncle, I will explain in great detail.”
“I’ve already heard. He committed a crime worthy of death. He was a pretty sharp fellow… time has ruined many individuals.”
Jeok Cheon-kang, who had downed the cup in one go, muttered with a bitter face.
“That child was the same.”
“Where did you meet him?”
It was a random question, but I understood immediately. The “child” that had just come out of Jeok Cheon-kang’s mouth was Jo Pil. He already knew that Jo Pil and I were connected. The worst-case scenario had become a reality.
“If you are thinking of lying, it would be better to quit now. You will end up telling the truth eventually.”
A shiver ran down my spine at Jeok Cheon-kang’s voice, which was as sunken as an abyss. Any more lies or evasions were useless. Right now, he was the prosecutor, the lawyer, and also the judge who could deliver any punishment.
‘Dammit.’
My dry mouth tasted bitter. I was so thirsty I could barely speak, even though he wasn’t emitting his Scorching Yang Qi.
“Please give me a drink too.”
“Insolent whelp.”
Though he said that, Jeok Cheon-kang obediently filled my cup. Only after hastily downing the strong liquor could I finally breathe. Right, it wasn’t over yet. I had to get my act together in times like these to get out of this crisis. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.
“It was about two months ago. When I met Jo Pil.”
“Jo Pil?”
“Yes. Jo Pil of the One Strike One Kill. He was a rather famous wandering warrior.”
“Judging by his title, he mustn’t have been famous in a good way.”
“…That was the case.”
It wasn’t just ‘the case’; he was practically a madman. The Jo Pil I saw at that time was nothing more and nothing less than a man mad with murder. Because he was genuinely enjoying the act of killing.
“Is this his face?”
What came out of Jeok Cheon-kang’s robes was a piece of paper. It was so old that it was all crumpled and yellowed, but the face of the young man drawn on it was easily recognizable.
“Is this a young Jo Pil?”
“It seems it is him. So that’s what happened in the end.”
It was more of a monologue than an answer to my question. Jeok Cheon-kang, who had been silent for a while, suddenly opened his mouth.
“About twenty years ago from now, a severe epidemic broke out in Anhui Province. Many commoners died, and even more orphans were created. He was one of them.”
It was the moment when the true identity of Jo Pil, which no one had known, was being revealed. My future would also be decided depending on what came out of his mouth. I held my breath and listened to Jeok Cheon-kang’s words.
Jeok Cheon-kang slowly continued. The memories of that time floated vividly above the cup, which was rippling with clear liquor.
“He was a child who struggled to survive. Even while surrounded and trampled by a dozen others, he would stuff a dirt-covered dumpling into his mouth.”
“I liked his fierce gaze, and at the same time, I felt sorry for him. I gave him the name Jang-cheon.”
And so, Jang-cheon came to live in a small hut deep within Mount Jiuhua. It was the first time in fifty long years, since Jeok Cheon-kang had sent his master off, that an outsider had set foot there.
“In the beginning, he knew nothing. It was only after a year that he realized I was a martial artist, and he soon began to beg me to teach him martial arts.”
To an orphan who had lived amidst all sorts of contempt and hunger, a martial artist was no different from a being from the heavens. He wanted to become a martial artist and change his life, and for that reason, he desperately clung to the old man who had saved him.
‘Please, accept me as your disciple.’
‘No.’
‘Master!’
‘Master? Who said I was your master? You lack the physical foundation and martial talent to learn the arts of this sect.’
‘I will do it. I will show you that I can do it, no matter what. I will die before I disappoint you, Master!’
‘…Impossible.’
Jeok Cheon-kang thought that Jang-cheon would not last long. However, the boy’s desire was more tenacious than he had thought. He persuaded him every day for a year without fail, and later, he even went so far as to self-harm or go on a hunger strike. Each time, it was Jeok Cheon-kang who broke out in a sweat.
‘You foolish boy. Why do you do such things?’
‘I want to learn martial arts. Please accept me as your disciple.’
‘…I cannot.’
‘Is it, is it because I am lacking?’
‘It is an unavoidable choice to continue the lineage of the sect. It will be a difficult time for you as well.’
‘I can endure it, no matter how difficult!’
‘Impossible. If you continue to be this stubborn, I will have no choice but to send you down the mountain. Is that what you want?’
In truth, it was Jeok Cheon-kang who did not want to part. The illness of old age had come for him, and it seemed he had longed for human company. The past year was more than enough time to grow fond of the boy, who was uncharacteristically full of scars and taciturn for his age. But…
‘Then do so. I am fated to die anyway, am I not?’
‘What did you say?’
‘If I cannot serve you as my master, I will take my own life. No, rather, kill me now. With the very hands that saved me.’
‘Th-This boy!’
What were martial arts, that he would even throw away his own life? At the sight of Jang-cheon, Jeok Cheon-kang felt disappointed and angry. But at the same time, another thought suddenly occurred to him.
“Although his martial talent and physical foundation were lacking, I thought that with such a ruthless mind, he would one day surely achieve Great Accomplishment. That is what this old man thought.”
Jin Tae-kyung, who had been listening quietly, asked with a dubious face.
“A ruthless mind… So you accepted him as your disciple?”
“Yes.”
Jeok Cheon-kang added, like a sigh.
“It was a mistake.”
It was the most painful mistake in his entire life of a hundred long years.
“For a few years, things were smooth. He grew so fast that my initial concerns before accepting him as a disciple were put to shame.”
Jang-cheon faithfully followed his master’s words. No, it was closer to absolute obedience. He swung his sword like a madman all day and devoted himself to physical training. Even when learning a minor basic art, he put his whole soul into it as if he were learning the greatest divine art in the world. As the disciple put in such passion and effort, Jeok Cheon-kang could not help but be deeply moved. He too did his best to help his disciple’s growth.
Jang-cheon’s talent and physical foundation were barely above mediocre, but through Jeok Cheon-kang’s Marrow Cleansing, his constitution gradually improved. A master and disciple who trusted and relied on each other, and outstanding achievements. It seemed as if everything was going smoothly.
“The problem was after that.”
The old man remained an old man, but the boy grew into a young man. However, compared to his body, the young man’s martial arts did not grow. Jang-cheon grew angry at himself for repeating the same spot for several years, and finally, things came to a head.
“I still remember it clearly. That day, for some reason, I couldn’t sleep and was sitting on a rock, when the boy, who had been unseen for several days, claiming he was in closed-door training, came up from below.”
Jin Tae-kyung tilted his head.
“What do you mean, he came up from below?”
“It means he had been to the village. The wind was mixed with the musk that courtesans use.”
“Ah. A gisaeng house?”
“I understood completely. He was a boy who had been training only in martial arts for ten long years without any real outings. What could I, a master who couldn’t even provide much help and was only focused on his own training, say?”
At that time, Jeok Cheon-kang was engrossed in training to open his Upper Danjeon. Opening the Upper Danjeon meant reaching the Pinnacle of Martial Arts. It was to elevate his own martial arts by one stage and at the same time, to treat the illness of old age that was eating away at him moment by moment.
“But it was not an easy task. It required long preparation, time, and enlightenment.”
And so, the frequency of master and disciple meeting gradually decreased. Jeok Cheon-kang, believing that his ever-diligent disciple would gain enlightenment on his own, focused on his Upper Danjeon training. He would only notice his disciple’s descent from the mountain on days when various smells were mixed in the wind.
“Then one day, a guest came to visit.”
“A guest?”
“The Azure Heavens Sword King[1]. It was the first time I had seen his face, but I recognized him immediately. He was just as I had heard.”
Jin Tae-kyung’s mouth fell open.
“Th-The Azure Heavens Sword King, one of the Ten Kings?”
“Yes, he is also the Supreme Elder of the Great Namgoong Family.”
“Why did he visit?”
Jeok Cheon-kang silently tilted his wine bottle. He had already emptied several bottles by himself, yet his mind was becoming clearer. The same went for the words the Azure Heavens Sword King, who had visited so suddenly, had said.
‘My children have been whining lately. They say some heinous fellow is running wild in Anhui Province, and they can’t seem to catch him. I have come to see you because they pleaded with me so.’
Jeok Cheon-kang was bewildered. The influence of the Namgoong Family in Anhui was truly mighty. If even they were at a loss and the Azure Heavens Sword King had to step in, just how strong was this fellow?
‘But why did you come looking for me? Is that fellow a Martial God or something?’
‘If he were a Martial God, he wouldn’t be picking on and killing only innocent women and clumsy wandering warriors. I saw him once from a distance and just let him be.’
‘What does that…’
‘Should not the master correct the faults of his disciple?’
A short while after the Azure Heavens Sword King had left, Jeok Cheon-kang, who was standing blankly on a rock, caught a smell carried on the wind. It was the scent of blood.