Chapter 93 : Chapter 93

Chapter 93. Ghost (2)

I walked on, turning back the way I came.

Instead of going straight to Hyeok Ilso, I head to Heavenly Peak Ridge.

And I feed the pill to my junior sister to build her skills.

With this goal in mind, something I had to do before leaving came to mind.

After walking for a while.

I saw a few beggars walking from the opposite direction.

I approached So Honggae and said.

"Hall Leader So. I have a request."

"Haa. If it's about Hyeok Ilso's location, we don't know the exact details either."

I shook my head at So Honggae's assumption.

"The black market at the Great Ridge of Color you mentioned last time. Please take care of that place."

Saying so, I took out a wooden plaque from my bosom and held it out.

"I will return this wooden plaque in exchange."

So Honggae let out a faint sigh and replied.

"Haa. Since I made a promise while giving you my wooden plaque, I will keep it. But the more I see of you, the more unsettling you are. It's a gift I gave you to save your life, yet are you really planning to use it to deal with a black market? Or are you saying that because you truly don't know the value of that plaque?"

"It is to preserve our own lives that I make this request."

"……What do you mean by that?"

"I made this request to divert their attention to the Beggar's Gang. To be honest, I know it's an excessive request for a wooden plaque, but I'm saying it shamelessly."

Since an elder had died at my hands, they would surely target us.

Previously, it would have been something to rejoice about, as I would kill them as they came, but the situation had changed slightly.

At least until my junior sister fully absorbed the spiritual herb, we needed to avoid their attacks.

So Honggae nodded and accepted the wooden plaque.

"If that's the reason, then I must accept. Of course. Hahaha. I thought, for a moment, that you were asking me to deal with the black market simply because you disliked it."

"Of course, that's also a reason."

"……."

"There will surely be women or children who have been kidnapped and are scheduled to be sold as slaves there, and goods that have been stolen or obtained by killing people will be exchanged. My path is busy, so I can't go there myself, but how can I just leave such a sight be?"

So Honggae, who had been silent for a moment, let out a sigh and said.

"You are so consistently surprising. So severely consistent that it's absurd."

At So Honggae's words, which could be a compliment or an insult, that Dang Sopyeong fellow burst out laughing openly.

"Hahaha. You see things very accurately."

For some reason, my junior sister and Nam Geon were also smiling awkwardly.

The moment I tilted my head.

So Honggae let out a dry cough and replied.

"Ahem. Anyway, don't worry about that. From what I saw while cleaning up the battlefield last time, besides Qingliang Xueshang, there were several other masters from the Unwol Sect. The power of the Great Ridge of Color's black market must have been greatly weakened, so it won't be difficult to handle."

"Thank you."

"It's nothing. We are the Beggar's Gang. Would we avoid the Unwol Sect because we're scared? We avoid them because they're dirty."

A beggar discussing filth, yet it wasn't particularly funny.

There was some truth to his words.

The power of the Beggar's Gang was considerable.

Although the Unwol Sect was a faction that had divided the underworld's black markets into three, the Beggar's Gang was a group widely known throughout the martial world.

I started to wonder if they had been holding back out of fear that innocent beggars would get caught in the crossfire.

"Then, I'll be counting on you."

"Alright. Travel safely."

***

After finishing our conversation with So Honggae.

Jin Yuseong and his party returned to Lianzhou.

I considered heading straight for Heavenly Peak Ridge, but there was one problem.

It was because of the iron needles I had requested to be made at the forge here before going to find the Hundred Yang Ten-Knot Grass.

The blacksmith had initially told me he needed two days to make the iron needles.

Thus, we stayed in Lianzhou for two days for Jin Yuseong's injuries to recover.

On the way to Heavenly Peak Ridge after picking up the iron needles from the forge.

Jin Yuseong took out the iron needles he had picked up from the forge.

He placed one on his hand and moved it around for a moment.

After roughly gauging the weight and center of gravity.

He threw the iron needle with all his might towards a nearby tree.

Swiiiiiish.

Thwack!

The iron needle, flying at a tremendous speed, embedded itself in the tree.

If it were a human body, it would have been powerful enough to pierce through.

Pointing at his handiwork, Jin Yuseong asked Dang Sopyeong.

"What do you think?"

"You said you'd teach me hidden weapon arts, are you trying to show off?"

When Dang Sopyeong asked back with a hollow laugh, Jin Yuseong shook his head and threw another iron needle.

"Do you see the difference from before?"

"Before, you threw with your whole body, but this time, it seems you threw almost entirely with the strength of your arm."

Jin Yuseong nodded.

As he said, this time he had minimized his movements and thrown only with his arm.

"Which of the two seems better?"

Dang Sopyeong, finally understanding Jin Yuseong's intention, thought for a moment and answered.

"Hmm. It would depend on the situation. Considering it's a hidden weapon art, the former would be better for a surprise attack, and the latter would be better during a battle."

Jin Yuseong nodded.

"The approach was good, but you're wrong. In any case, the latter is better."

He threw the iron needles one by one and calmly explained.

"It would be a different story if the opponent were a third-rate street thug."

Thud.

"If you throw with your whole body like this."

Thud.

"A master who has reached a certain level will definitely feel your presence."

Thud.

"So, even if it's a surprise attack."

Thud.

"You must move minimally like this to eliminate your presence."

Thud.

After finishing his explanation.

Jin Yuseong held out the remaining iron needles to Dang Sopyeong.

"I think I've shown you enough of a demonstration, so try throwing one."

Dang Sopyeong threw the iron needles one by one.

At first, they flew to strange places.

Dang Sopyeong recalled the scene of Jin Yuseong doing it and calmly threw the iron needles again.

This time, it went straight towards the tree, but.

Tick.

Perhaps because it lacked power, it couldn't penetrate the tree and bounced off.

Jin Yuseong, who was watching, opened his mouth.

"Accuracy is a later problem. Besides, you're planning to coat the needles with poison anyway, right? There's no need to hit a vital point accurately. It'll be a fatal wound even if it just hits the thigh or forearm. So, the priority is to learn how to throw strongly with minimal movement."

Perhaps because it was a situation where he was being taught, Dang Sopyeong didn't argue.

Even after that, every time Dang Sopyeong threw a needle, Jin Yuseong, who was watching from the side, continued to give advice.

"It's not much different from swinging a sword. Use your wrist and elbow with a feeling of cutting it off."

Perhaps because he was both a physician and a martial artist at the same time.

As soon as he heard a few words of advice, Dang Sopyeong began to stick needles into the tree.

Thwack!

Thwack!

With an expression of "I knew it," Jin Yuseong nodded.

Come to think of it, he was the one who had stuck a poison needle into the body of Jang Ik, the First Killing of Sichuan, even before practicing hidden weapon arts.

At that time, the situation had been favorable in many ways.

Jang Ik was already injured, it was a dark night, and he had even induced carelessness by talking to his opponent.

Looking at it from another perspective, it meant that he was that talented in hidden weapon arts.

He had succeeded in a surprise attack by making up for his lack of skill with various conditions.

Even after that, Jin Yuseong did not spare any advice.

"It seems you've got the posture down, so now I'll tell you about the flow of internal energy."

After breaking down the movement into several stages.

He would recite the acupoints where internal energy should flow in each movement.

"Since you've learned swordsmanship like me, it would be good to use it in conjunction with your sword art."

He also taught him how to throw needles stealthily between the movements of swinging a sword.

As he gradually embodied Jin Yuseong's teachings, Dang Sopyeong thought.

‘He’s a madman, but he definitely has a knack for teaching people,’ he thought.

Unlike a madman, when he gave teachings, he explained them in great detail.

Thanks to that, he could understand the teachings right away without getting lost.

‘Is this why Miss Baek Hyang and Young Master Nam Geon follow this guy so much?’

While Dang Sopyeong was having such thoughts.

Jin Yuseong was also teaching him while trying hard to suppress a hollow laugh.

‘Talent is talent, is it?’

In the past, Jin Yuseong had struggled quite a bit to learn hidden weapon arts.

Even if someone had explained it in such detail from the side, he wouldn't have understood it as quickly as he was being taught.

‘Well. That’s why he was called the Poison Immortal.’

In the first place, Jang Sopyeong was someone who worked as a physician in the clan and only trained secretly at night.

Nevertheless, in just a decade, he surpassed his direct-line brothers who had dedicated themselves only to martial arts.

Also, even though he had only trained in poison arts and hidden weapon arts after leaving the clan, he became a master renowned in the martial world after a dozen or so years.

It might be disappointing compared to Baek Hyang, but Dang Sopyeong was also a genius if you called him one.

Seeing the genius who understood and followed everything he was taught didn't particularly make him angry.

He was a bad friend of the future, after all.

That wasn't the feeling.

‘Now it’s finding its rightful owner.’

The foundation of the hidden weapon art that Jin Yuseong was teaching Dang Sopyeong was what he had learned from the future Poison Immortal.

Or things he had imitated from the techniques the future Poison Immortal had displayed.

Although it was mixed with practical techniques that Jin Yuseong had learned through countless real battles, the foundation remained unchanged.

In the end, Jin Yuseong was just telling him in advance what the future Dang Sopyeong would have learned on his own.

But Dang Sopyeong had no way of knowing this fact.

‘Hooo. Right. Whether it turns out to be porridge or rice, I'll have to train as that madman tells me until I succeed in my revenge.’

With that resolve in mind, he threw the iron needles hundreds of times.

"Heok. Heok."

When his mouth started to feel dry, Dang Sopyeong looked down at his right arm.

His arm was trembling so much that he couldn't throw the iron needles anymore.

At that moment, Jin Yuseong, who had been practicing the sword by himself on the side, glanced at his state and gave him advice.

"There might be a case where you can't use one hand while fighting. So now, do it with your left hand."

At the truly excellent advice, Dang Sopyeong let out a hollow laugh and asked back.

"Then what should I do if my left hand doesn't move either?"

"By the time your left hand doesn't move, your right hand will have recovered a little. You can just alternate."

"……."

Dang Sopyeong stared at Jin Yuseong with eyes filled with various emotions.

***

After giving advice to Dang Sopyeong, who couldn't understand a natural principle.

I decided to focus on my own training as well.

In fact, since my junior sister and the Tang Clan guy were exceptionally talented, once I gave them a lesson, I didn't need to pay special attention to them for a while.

Because they would learn on their own.

In Nam Geon's case, teaching him several things at once would only give him a headache, so in a different sense, there was no need to watch over him for long.

Because he was a guy who learned with his body, not his head.

In the end, there was no problem even if I focused only on my own training, aside from watching the party's training once in a while and giving a few words of advice.

"Haa. Hooo."

I caught my breath and recalled the memory of the last chaotic battle.

For the past two days, thanks to the party's pestering, I hadn't been able to move my body.

Instead, I had been focusing only on qi circulation and meditation.

Perhaps because I kept reliving the memory, even after two days, the memory of that day remained vivid in my mind.

It was rather fortunate.

The memories I was focusing on were twofold.

The enlightenment about the second form of the Sun Moon Infinite Sword, Azure Heaven's Hidden Smile.

And Qingliang Xueshang's movements.

To be precise, the flow of internal energy that coursed through his body.

The man had shown strength and speed far superior to mine even with his weak body.

It meant that he was handling a formidable internal energy as he pleased.

On the other hand, what about me?

Despite the massive internal energy in my dantian, I couldn't draw out that enormous internal energy all at once.

It was because my understanding of qi was still shallow.

In that sense, Qingliang Xueshang's movements could be called a very excellent teaching material.

"Haa. Hooo."

After concentrating until the movement of the man swinging his Judge's Pen became completely clear, I opened my eyes with a flash.

The man's figure was faintly drawn in the air.

As if I were looking in a mirror and imitating it, I tried to mimic the man's movements.

Not just the form, but also the flow of internal energy that coursed through his acupoints.

Perhaps because I wasn't used to it yet.

As I tried to forcefully draw up a large amount of internal energy, my meridians shook.

It felt as if the bloody scent of blood was rising in my throat.

Ignoring the pain, I focused only on the movements of Qingliang Xueshang that I could see.

My two eyes are wide open.

I swing the Restoring Name Sword while exerting extreme concentration.

I knew instinctively.

If I gained some enlightenment here, it seemed I could get a clue to move on to the next form of the Sun Moon Infinite Sword.

How long had it been since I had been chasing Qingliang Xueshang's movements in a state of selflessness?

Perhaps because the accumulated internal injuries had reached their limit, a cough burst out without me knowing.

"Cough……."

After coughing up blood-mixed phlegm, I could no longer see Qingliang Xueshang's figure.

Dang Sopyeong's voice pierced my ears.

"You're really something else."

Saying so, the Tang Clan guy held out a pill to me with a trembling hand.

"I prepared this in advance, knowing this would happen. I'll be guarding you, so tend to your internal injuries."

It seemed to be a pill that was effective in treating internal injuries.

I popped the pill the man gave me into my mouth and sat down in a cross-legged position.

"Haa. Hooo."

After tending to my internal injuries.

Finally, I let out a breath and got up.

Since I had wasted time, I intended to immediately use my movement arts to move.

But Nam Geon uttered something out of the blue.

"Bro is strange."

"Young Master Nam. It's not the first or second day that guy has been acting crazy, what's so strange?"

Nam Geon shook his head at the Tang Clan guy's remark.

"B, bro getting hurt is a daily thing. B, but bro's eyes are strange."

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