Chapter 46 : Inevitable (1)

Grandpa was still in a coma.

The green line leeches had all seeped into Grandpa’s body. All those many leeches had melted away.

The wound was so deep that it was impossible to speak of.

Fortunately, the wound had healed. There was nothing as excellent as the green line leeches for treating sword wounds.

A deep scar was engraved on Grandpa’s body.

It was a scar that had split his body exactly in half, so it was so gruesome that one would automatically turn their head away.

Still, the flesh had healed well.

Looking at Grandpa’s outward appearance, he was fine. But he was not waking up from his coma. He didn’t seem to have any intention of coming out of his deep sleep, no matter how much he slept.

“I’m turning your body.”

Ah Geol said bluntly.

If you stayed in a motionless state for a long time, your flesh would soften. So, you had to turn the body several times a day to prevent bedsores. You also had to check for urination and defecation from time to time.

Taking care of a person in a coma was no easy task.

“A small old man is so heavy…”

Ah Geol grumbled and turned Grandpa to the side.

After that, he disinfected the wound. Although it had already healed and the flesh had grown back, he still wiped the body with a self-made medicine every day. And he tied it with a clean bandage.

It seemed that Grandpa’s nerves had been severely damaged. A considerable part of his meridians had also been cut, so his energy did not circulate well.

But it was okay. His breath had returned. Although it was faint, he could also feel his heartbeat.

It was enough if his body was fine.

He waited, thinking that he would wake up someday. His life was alive, so what if he slept a little deeply?

After treating Grandpa, he naturally pondered the Single-Instant Blade.

He recalled the blade that the first Single-Instant Sect Master had possessed.

‘Phantom Floating Killing Blade. Sixteen forms, one hundred and twenty-eight moves.’

His master dances. Very slowly… he demonstrates the one hundred and twenty-eight moves over almost half a two-hour period.

It had already been fifteen years since his master had shown him the Phantom Floating Killing Blade in the cave. But even now, he vividly remembered his master’s appearance. He could even feel the breath he had exhaled while dancing.

When he had told Grandpa this, Grandpa had cursed him, saying, ‘You’re a guy that even a ghost would be jealous of.’

He had said that it was impossible for a seven-year-old child to remember a martial arts form he had seen only once fifteen years ago.

And on top of that, the fact that he could even feel the breathing meant that he remembered the subtlety of flowing out the forms, and he had said that he was the only one in the whole world who was born with such a memory and sense.

It was not a lie. He actually vividly remembered that moment. And what was the use of lying to Grandpa?

Swoosh! Swish! Swoosh!

His hand moves. His body also tries to move. If he had not been sitting with his back against the wall, he would have definitely moved.

He tries to execute it, following the movements that arise in his memory.

His master had shown him the Phantom Floating Killing Blade over half a two-hour period. But it took a full two-hour period to recall it again. Because if his hand didn’t go properly, he had to try moving it again.

The second Single-Instant Sect Master was a person called Wooden Blade One Slash.

Wooden Blade One Slash had used only one move in any fight.

There was no clashing of weapons. He would cut the flesh in one move. If he used his blade, he would surely kill.

It was also called the Wooden Blade Three Laws.

It was an ironclad rule that the person called Wooden Blade One Slash had never broken while roaming the martial world.

In fact, it should be said that the fighting style of the Single-Instant Sect had started from the time of the second Single-Instant Sect Master.

Wooden Blade One Slash had eighty-one slashing blades.

They were eighty-one ways to cut a person with a blade. Upward blade, downward blade, straight slashing blade, revolving blade, back排 blade… you would be surprised that there were so many ways to use a blade.

Ah Geol also tried to follow this.

Then two or three two-hour periods would pass by in a flash.

Even if he followed only two of the thirty-six Single-Instant Blades, half a day would pass. If he closed his eyes after eating lunch and then opened them, thinking that he should stop now, the sun would have already set.

Ah Geol knew thirty-six kinds of Single-Instant Blades.

He remembered all the Single-Instant Blades of the thirty-six Single-Instant Sect Masters.

In fact… his master had been very greedy at the last moment.

It was customary not to show the Single-Instant Blades of the previous sect masters to a disciple who had not obtained the Single-Instant Blade.

If you showed them the Single-Instant Blades of the previous sect masters, they would be busy imitating them.

They had to have their own Single-Instant Blade, but if you showed them a too strong Single-Instant Blade, anyone would follow it.

So, he never showed them the Single-Instant Blade.

Seori Gaheon, Seori Hyeonggae, Dongbak… the three senior brothers had seen the Hundred Sword Blade.

They had seen a hundred martial arts, mainly consisting of sword arts and blade arts, with various weapon techniques such as spear arts, bow arts, and halberd arts added.

The three senior brothers had all seen the same martial arts.

Their master had demonstrated them, left them in secret manuals, and discussion was permitted.

The Single-Instant Blade did not follow the Hundred Sword Blade. They created their own study with the Hundred Sword Blade as a reference. It would not be as easy as it sounded to create a new martial art, but the Single-Instant martial artists had done it.

His master had not neglected his disciples.

He had made them live alone, and train alone, but he had always watched them train from behind.

If they went on a good path, he left them alone. There was no need to interfere when they were doing well. If they went on a wrong path, he would enlighten them in the form of a duel. Feeling it directly was more effective than words.

This kind of guidance method was a perfect fit for people who were born with a talent for fighting.

It was so effective that it could finish in one year what would have taken ten years.

The Single-Instant Blade was not obtained alone. It could be obtained because his master had helped him with all his might from behind.

But he had not given any help to Ah Geol.

The only thing his master had done was to show him the thirty-six Single-Instant Blades. And he had given him the Seori surname on the spot. Even though he had not even taken his first steps, let alone obtained the Single-Instant Blade.

It was like feeding a hundred wild ginseng roots to a child.

The Single-Instant Blade was the essence of blade arts.

Among the thirty-six kinds of Single-Instant Blades, there was none that was not an ultimate technique.

If even one of them was released into the martial world, it was strong enough to rebuild a sect.

And there were thirty-six of them.

He didn’t know what his master had been thinking when he had shown him the Single-Instant Blade… but the thirty-six blade arts were melted into Ah Geol’s body. He could execute them naturally without even thinking.

After examining the martial arts of the two Single-Instant Sect Masters, he would stand up from his seat.

Half a day had already passed.

He checks for urination and defecation.

If there was filth, he would change to a new diaper.

He would disinfect the wound again, and wrap it with a dry bandage.

He would check the wound at least three times a day.

“They say you lose sleep when you get old, but looking at Grandpa, it doesn’t seem to be the case. That’s right, don’t you think of liquor? I was about to bring liquor and pour it in front of your nose, but I’m holding back. You should be grateful.”

Ah Geol looked at Grandpa and smirked.

When evening came, he would recall the Single-Instant Blade that Dongbak had executed.

The Single-Instant Blade was about finding a blade art that suited oneself after examining countless martial arts.

It was like having clothes tailored to your body after measuring it with a ruler.

The thirty-six kinds of Single-Instant Blades that Ah Geol knew were all clothes that others had worn.

They were not clothes that suited him. They were clothes tailored to each individual.

Even if the physique was the same, it felt somewhat awkward to wear clothes that others had worn. Moreover, the physiques of the Single-Instant Blade martial artists were too different. The individual characteristics were so strong that they could not be fused.

His master’s Single-Instant Blade could only be used by his master. If another person used it, it would become awkward.

An ordinary person could imitate it to some extent if they used it. If they imitated it, a similar power would be executed. They could be confident that they had trained in a strong martial art in their own way.

But for a Single-Instant martial artist to use the Single-Instant Blade of a predecessor as it was could be a fatal harm.

That was why Dongbak had died.

Dongbak had imitated his master’s Single-Instant Blade.

It was the same for him. Because he had not yet obtained the Single-Instant Blade, he imitated his master’s Single-Instant Blade.

What was the difference between the two?

To Dongbak, his master’s Single-Instant Blade was the strongest martial art. There was no stronger martial art. So he was convinced that if he just trained in the Single-Instant Blade, he would rise to the top.

To Ah Geol, his master’s Single-Instant Blade was one of thirty-six. It was certain that his master’s Single-Instant Blade was also at the top, but he knew that it was not something he would have.

This difference had decided the victory or defeat.

Dongbak had only seen Ah Geol’s martial arts.

Ah Geol had compared Dongbak’s Single-Instant Blade and his master’s Single-Instant Blade.

He had seen the opening that was revealed when he could not properly execute his master’s Single-Instant Blade.

‘My senior brothers have their own Single-Instant Blades. It’s a top-level martial art, something I haven’t seen. If I clash with them in my current state, it’s a certain defeat… but I can’t not fight either.’

“That’s right! He started something useless.”

Ah Geol grumbled to the lying Grandpa.

The reason why he was pondering the martial arts of the Single-Instant Sect Master and Dongbak was to see if there was a way to face his senior brothers in them. Although he knew that there was none.

Ah Geol came out to the capital.

To disinfect Grandpa’s body, he needed medicinal herbs. If it were one or two kinds of medicinal herbs, he would have gathered them from the mountain himself, but to make a disinfectant, he needed as many as ten kinds.

In this case, it was more convenient to use a pharmacy than to go through the trouble.

“I heard that the Yeocheon Kang family has cut off their support?”

“Yes. They did. Their own child died, so would they look kindly on the Living Sword Sect that didn’t even take revenge? The Living Sword Sect couldn’t even catch the assassin. From now on, the Living Sword Sect’s finances will be tight.”

“Isn’t it enough that they destroyed the Drunken Flower Garden?”

“What’s the use of just destroying the Drunken Flower Garden? They missed the assassin who actually killed their child.”

When people met, they would liven up with the story of the Living Sword Sect.

‘The Drunken Flower Garden was destroyed?’

Ah Geol tilted his head.

The Drunken Flower Garden had known exactly what it meant to kill Kang Jo.

Ah Sam had gone and pointed out Mongseol. And he had requested an assassination.

If they had not been able to predict how this would turn out, the Drunken Flower Garden would not have the right to live in the martial world.

Kang Jo had been killed by the Drunken Flower Garden assassin, Mongseol.

The Living Sword Sect and the Yeocheon Kang family could not hold the Drunken Flower Garden responsible, even though they knew that Mongseol was a Drunken Flower Garden assassin.

The only thing they could do was to catch the assassin, Mongseol.

The Drunken Flower Garden had collected evidence of the evil deeds that Kang Jo had committed.

If the Living Sword Sect or the Yeocheon Kang family held the Drunken Flower Garden responsible, the Drunken Flower Garden would proudly reveal the evidence.

Kang Jo was this kind of person!

We just received a request from someone who was harmed by Kang Jo and collected the price from Kang Jo.

In a word, they had killed someone who deserved to be killed.

A ‘justifiable assassination’ was the shield that had allowed the Drunken Flower Garden to survive even in front of the fierce sword wind of the Duke Heo’s residence.

The entire martial world knew this.

So, if someone was said to have been killed by a Drunken Flower Garden assassin, the trend was to recognize that they had done something bad somewhere.

So, the Living Sword Sect and the Yeocheon Kang family did not hold the Drunken Flower Garden responsible. Instead, they did their best to catch the assassin.

Ah Sam had collected enough evidence about Kang Jo and had given it to them.

The Drunken Flower Garden master had judged after seeing the evidence, and had ordered the assassination. She had confirmed that Kang Jo was someone who deserved to be killed.

If the situation had ended here, the Drunken Flower Garden would not have been annihilated.

The problem was what came next… the Single-Instant Blade appeared. Since that was the original purpose, it was natural that it appeared.

From this moment on, the Drunken Flower Garden was designated as a sect to be eliminated.

An assassin sect that had a relationship with the Single-Instant Blade.

Those who knew the Single-Instant Blade knew what it meant to kill someone with the Single-Instant Blade.

It was the revival of the Single-Instant Sect.

It meant that they would stick a blade in the hearts of Heo Dogi, Seori Gaheon, and Seori Hyeonggae.

Even if other people didn’t know, a few people definitely knew. No matter how much time had passed.

Since this was the case, it was also predictable what kind of action they would take.

Naturally, they would eliminate the Drunken Flower Garden. It was not a target to be officially eliminated, but they would unofficially annihilate it.

It didn’t matter to the Drunken Flower Garden whether Dongbak or Ah Geol won the Single-Instant Blade fight. The Drunken Flower Garden would be eliminated unconditionally. Even if the Drunken Flower Garden had no connection with the Single-Instant Blade, they would eliminate it.

The Drunken Flower Garden master had seen through this movement clearly.

And yet, she had just sat there and been annihilated? No. That couldn’t be. Annihilation was just a superficial matter.

Ah Geol entered the pharmacy, letting the people’s words flow by.

“Poria, perilla leaves, scutellaria, ginseng…”

“That’s enough. I have what you took before, so I can just look at that. I’ll prepare it soon.”

The doctor walked to the medicine cabinet without even listening to the rest of the words.

“Someone must be seriously injured, right?”

“…”

“If you’re going to use this much medicine, it would be better to show them to a doctor. Shall I go with you?”

“It’s alright.”

Ah Geol said indifferently to the doctor.

Pueraria, schizonepeta… the doctor diligently took out the medicinal herbs, looking at the prescription he had written before.