Chapter 36 : One on One (1)

Tok tok tok!

The sound of a wooden fish was heard.

“Aigoo! Master, you’ve come!”

The gatekeeper was the first to come running out with a pleased expression.

It was the head monk of the nearby Gudal Mountain’s Oseon Temple, Master Borim.

Master Borim visited the Living Sword Sect once or twice a year.

His friendship with the Living Sword Sect Master was very deep, so he would have a private meeting for one or two two-hour periods whenever he visited.

There was no one in the Living Sword Sect who did not know this.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes. I have been well.”

“Is the Sect Master inside?”

“Yes. He is. Please come in.”

The gatekeeper politely escorted Master Borim inside.

“Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Master Borim put his hands together and chanted the Buddha’s name to everyone he met as he entered the inner quarters.

Master Borim treated everyone equally, whether it was the Sect Master, the Ten Swords, the servants, or the attendants… He smiled brightly at everyone. He conveyed a clear smile and kind words.

There was no one in the Living Sword Sect who disliked Master Borim.

* * *

“From this moment on, convey all the information we have acquired to the secret agent.”

The Living Sword Sect Master gave the command.

‘Another secret agent!’

The eight swords gathered in the main hall had naturally expected such a command to be given.

After Master Borim’s visit, a command of this kind was always issued.

A secret agent referred to a martial artist dispatched by the Duke Heo’s residence on official business. Because they were people who were active with a public mission, all the sects in the entire martial world had an obligation to cooperate.

It was also a show of respect for the number one person under heaven, Heo Dogi.

“I understand.”

The Clear and Elegant Sword, Wang Wei, answered calmly.

If it was information that the Living Sword Sect gathered, it was the responsibility of the Fifth Hall. It was the same as saying to convey the information handled by the Fifth Hall.

“But… that secret agent, who is he?”

The Clear and Elegant Sword asked.

His voice was not lively. It was gloomy.

Two of the Ten Swords had died. One was dead, and one was missing. It had been confirmed that he had returned after delivering the body to the Duke Heo’s residence, but his whereabouts had been unknown since then.

Seeing that he had not contacted the Living Sword Sect at all, it was judged that he was probably dead.

Naturally, the atmosphere was bound to be gloomy.

And on top of that, he was even more depressed because he had to convey all the information to a secret agent whose identity he did not even know.

The Living Sword Sect Master said, “This command will be carried out immediately from now on.”

The Sect Master left only those words and stood up.

The Clear and Elegant Sword did not ask any more. Even if he held onto his belt and begged, he would not tell him.

This was not the first or second time this had happened.

The Sect Master had never once told him about matters related to the secret agent.

A person dispatched from the Duke Heo’s residence, or an incident that had been discussed at the Sect Master’s level, was an absolute secret.

It was very different from other sects.

If he had risen to the position of one of the Ten Swords in another sect, the Sect Master would have consulted with the Ten Swords on all matters. Because the Ten Swords were also important pillars that led the sect.

If you excluded the Sect Master, the person in the very next position was one of the Ten Swords, so what was there that he could not tell the Ten Swords?

Of course, the Living Sword Sect Master also delegated other matters to the Ten Swords.

Even if it was a matter of the sect’s survival, he would sometimes unconventionally trust and entrust it to the Ten Swords.

But he was absolutely silent only on matters where the secret agent was involved.

“…I will carry it out immediately from now on.”

The Clear and Elegant Sword said to the back of the Sect Master who had already stood up and was leaving the main hall.

* * *

He had hidden Grandpa.

He was still breathing, but there was no guarantee that he would wake up. He might never wake up. Was it a miracle that he was still breathing?

In fact, his breathing was also very unstable.

His breath would stop and then start again.

He would live for a day or two at most. It would not be strange if he died soon.

No one thought he had any chance of living.

He had left Grandpa in that state. And he had hurriedly left the place and run for ten li.

He would lure the Living Sword Sect disciples. He would turn the Living Sword Sect’s attention from Grandpa to himself. He would make Dongbak come to him. Grandpa had to be recognized as a completely dead person.

Thud! Thud!

He walked the road.

He was simply walking the road, but countless gazes had already stuck to him. And the gazes were getting more and more.

“The moon originally doesn’t know how to drink, and the shadow just follows my body, but for now, let’s just take the moon and the shadow and enjoy it before this spring is over.”

A drunkard came staggering, reciting Li Bai’s poem.

Ah Geol saw the man.

He was staggering as if he were drunk, but he was not drunk. It was not a staggering walk where he had lost his balance. Because he was artificially staggering, his balance was well maintained.

A strange smell also came from the man.

It was like a fishy smell, and also like the smell of burning grass… it was a smell that ordinary people could not smell.

Ah Geol smelled it at once.

‘Vinegar Fragrance!’

Grandpa had the Vinegar Fragrance on his body. And from then on, he could not shake off the pursuit of the pigeons and the fighting dogs.

Did Grandpa not know about the Vinegar Fragrance? No. He knew. He had let it be put on his body even though he knew.

He was a person who had intended to lure the opponent on purpose. And a Living Sword Sect disciple was approaching such a person, saying that they would pursue him. Was there even a speck of a reason to refuse?

“If heaven did not enjoy liquor, hic! how could there be a liquor star in the sky, and if the earth also did not enjoy liquor, how could there be a liquor spring on the earth… hic! ugh.”

The drunkard came staggering as if he would fall at any moment.

Swoosh! Chak!

Ah Geol held his half blade. And he aimed it at the air.

He did not aim at a person. The empty air… he just held it up in front of his chest.

“I know it’s Vinegar Fragrance. If you try anything, you will die. If you don’t believe me, you can test it.”

The man who had been staggering and walking while drunk flinched.

He had been careful not to show it, but Ah Geol had read the tension that made even his fine hairs stand on end.

“Heaven and earth enjoy liquor…”

The drunkard continued to recite Li Bai and was about to approach, but he stopped abruptly.

Tseut!

A killing intent bloomed from the half blade.

A strong killing intent, strong enough for even a person like the drunkard to feel, stretched out in streaks.

The drunkard hesitated for a moment.

No opening was revealed from Ah Geol. And he really was thinking of using his half blade.

“Damn it!”

The drunkard suddenly turned his body around and disappeared down the road he had come from at a lightning speed.

He had realized that if he had stubbornly continued to approach Ah Geol, he would have become blade fodder without a doubt.

“Hmm!”

Ah Geol sheathed his half blade.

He had taken out the half blade that Grandpa had made for the first time. But he had not cut a person. He had not stained it with blood.

Thud! Thud! Ssssss!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Sssss!

Ah Geol walked. The sound of the wind quietly followed.

It was a very quiet wind. A secretive wind, a wind that brushed past his cheek… Grass Top Flight!

There were not many people in the Living Sword Sect who used Grass Top Flight.

Even among the martial artists of the Fifth Hall, only one or two knew how to execute Grass Top Flight.

Grass Top Flight was a very outstanding lightness skill. And there was no lightness skill more suitable for tailing than this.

Thud! Thud! Sssss!

He walked, and the tailing followed without fail.

Teong!

Ah Geol flicked the half blade stuck in his waist with his finger.

The half blade, flicked by his finger, let out a clear metallic sound.

Ah Geol said, “The distance is now ten zhang. From now on, retreat one zhang for every ten steps. If you don’t, I will cut you. If you don’t believe me, you can test it.”

It was a statement thrown into the air. But the opponent heard it.

The moment he spoke, he read the flinching aura.

When you trained in the Single-Instant Blade, your entire body’s senses developed to an extreme degree. They developed as sensitively as a fierce beast’s.

Ah Geol could sense the one who was tailing him.

He could even smell the bad breath he exhaled every time he breathed.

Should he guess what the tailing person had eaten for lunch? He had probably eaten noodles. The smell of wheat wafted from his mouth. Seeing that there was no spicy smell or vegetable smell, it seemed that he had eaten plain noodles.

He could figure out this much.

Thud! Thud!

Ah Geol walked.

The opponent did not follow.

Ah Geol had said two things.

The distance was now ten zhang, which meant that he had accurately grasped the tailing person’s position. And he had said that he would cut him. He had actually cut down a Living Sword Sect disciple. It was not an empty threat.

In preparation for a case like this, he had mercilessly cut down the Living Sword Sect disciples in the stable.

The purpose of cutting down the Living Sword Sect disciples was naturally to draw out his senior brothers. That was what Grandpa had wanted. And he had also intended to let them know that his blade was a killing blade.

A blade that cut without mercy!

If he had not instilled such a belief, the Living Sword Sect disciples would have rushed in like moths to a flame by now. He would have had to kill more people for no reason.

When he had cut down the Living Sword Sect disciples in the stable, he had fully expected a case like this.

* * *

The night was deep. In about one two-hour period, it would be midnight. And yet, people were not in their houses but were outside.

People sitting in the main hall and chatting.

A man and a woman sharing a secret love by the wall.

If one or two people were out, he could have pretended not to know… but too many people were not sleeping.

They were not martial artists. They were just people. People who lived in the world, the common people.

The common people did not know how to conduct surveillance.

They were observing the situation because a secret order had been given, but they did not know how to observe secretly.

Vinegar Fragrance, tailing, and mobilizing the common people… these three were the three major pursuit methods of the Living Sword Sect.

He could not threaten the common people to retreat.

The common people were most afraid of the Living Sword Sect’s sword. If they fell out of favor with the Living Sword Sect, they could not live. It was directly related to their livelihood. So they would not retreat at a mere threat.

Even if he made one person retreat, another person would still be watching from hiding.

What should he do with them? He couldn’t do anything. The only way to escape their gazes was for him to avoid them himself. So that he would not be seen.

Ah Geol walked towards a gloomy corner.

Because it was late at night, it was dark all around… but he walked to a particularly shady place.

A gloomy darkness washed over him.

Swoosh! Pat!

Ah Geol disappeared in an instant. The people who were watching lost track of him in an instant.

“Huh! Where did he go? He was here just a moment ago?”

“He’s not here either. What about over there?”

“He’s not here either. This is a ghost’s work. He definitely walked this way. Where did he disappear in that time?”

The people searched for Ah Geol, whispering.

Ah Geol had completely disappeared. He did not show himself in front of the people again.

If you could read the opponent, you could also avoid them.

To a person like Ah Geol, moving without being seen by people was honestly easier than twisting a child’s wrist.

The people would not know even if he passed by in front of their eyes.

He could read their auras, but they could not feel him.

This was the Single-Instant Blade.

The Single-Instant Blade was not a special sword form.

The Single-Instant Blade was about making the entire body a weapon of battle.

You would tense all your nerves, or completely relax them. You would create tension, and kill it. You would read the opponent and attack before they could generate their true energy. You would avoid the strong places, and strike the weak places.

The Single-Instant Blade was completed when you could do all of this instinctively. You would only use your blade after you had instinctively grasped the chance of victory. So you should not look at the forms.

The Single-Instant Blade was not a martial art.

The Single-Instant Blade was about making a human a weapon of battle.

That was the Single-Instant Blade that Ah Geol had grasped.

The Single-Instant Blade was completed when the entire body from head to toe became a weapon of battle. If an opening was created even for a single moment, the Single-Instant Blade would collapse. It was not complete.

He did not know what kind of Single-Instant Blade his senior brothers had obtained. He would know when he saw it in the future. What was certain was that the Single-Instant Blade that Dongbak had executed was quite far from his own Single-Instant Blade.

Cutting the blade straight?

Ah Geol’s Single-Instant Blade was not like that. It was fine to kill with a needle. If the entire body was a weapon at the moment of the duel, then it was the Single-Instant Blade. There should not be a single part that was not a weapon.

There was a really big difference with Dongbak.

Did it make sense for a person who pursued such a Single-Instant Blade to not even be able to avoid the gazes of people?

Ah Geol walked into the darkness.

Many people were watching, but they could not find him.

From now on, every moment was a fight.

It was a showdown between him and the one who had cut down Grandpa, Dongbak.

Everyone who had approached him so far was on Dongbak’s side. They worked for him. That was why he had avoided them. He had intended to cut them down if they ignored his warning and rushed in.

‘The real fight has begun. A fight where you die if you don’t kill. Then… I have to kill.’

Swoooosh!

Ah Geol tensed his entire body’s nerves.

He did not know when or where Dongbak would pop out.

(End of Chapter)