I focused my mind and continued practicing the method of circulating internal energy, moving the internal energy settled in my lower dantian.
Originally, without any internal energy, I couldn’t feel anything special, even while practicing. However, this time, after consuming the Inner Core, I increased my internal energy significantly, resulting in a meaningful change.
—Swoosh.
I slowly began to circulate my internal energy in the lower dantian. The internal energy spread through all my blood vessels, and the subtlety of its circulation was noticeable.
It was indeed true.
The internal energy had taken its place in my body.
“I guess it doesn’t seem that big, though.”
Still, an elixir is an elixir. It’s impressive that I now have internal energy like this. After the circulation routine, I stood up and tried to move my body.
“Whoa!”
Despite having battled fiercely, I didn’t feel particularly tired. No, I actually felt overflowing with energy.
“So this is the power of internal energy? Not too shabby.”
—Swish.
I immediately drew my sword and stepped outside the inn. The townspeople flinched at the sight of me, but after reassuring them that I was just practicing martial arts, I moved to the back of the building.
In that state.
—Boom!
I unleashed the basic move of the Three Calamity Sword Technique.
“Huh!”
Maybe it was just my imagination, but the sword’s momentum felt sharper. No, it wasn’t just a feeling; it was undeniable. I gained practical experience in a real battle, having killed a goblin with perfect execution of the basic move.
Then, after absorbing the Inner Core and increasing my internal energy, it’s only natural that the sword’s power increased too.
—Boom!
I displayed all the basic moves I knew and repeated the same moves a few more times before sheathing my sword.
Sweat dripped down.
“Refreshing.”
I only utilized this level of internal energy for the circulation method and lightly executed the Three Calamity Sword Technique, yet I felt incredibly refreshed. There was even a sense of achievement.
Training martial arts is this fun.
There’s a reason why martial artists in novels are so obsessed with internal energy and martial skills. My body, my physique, and my mind are strengthening in real-time—how could one possibly hold back?
Martial artists must feel a similar sense of accomplishment when training their internal energy or martial arts, akin to modern gamers leveling up their characters. In other words, martial artists are like game addicts—addicts to the game known as reality.
After doing some more calisthenics and taking a rest, the townspeople returned.
They were retrieving Do Samcheol’s corpse.
“Thank you for taking care of Do Samcheol’s body.”
“He fought and died for our village, so it’s the least we can do.”
“You’re a good-hearted village… But, chief, what about the other two?”
“They’ve already left. Without a word.”
“Understood.”
“Here. Please receive this certificate with my seal.”
“Thank you.”
I took the certificate sealed by the chief and tucked it into my clothes. With this, I would claim all the rewards. Half of the rewards should be sent to Do Samcheol’s family through the Haengdo Sect, though.
“Oh, chief. Is there a cart or procession heading to the city?”
“There’s one scheduled for tomorrow to deliver our taxes…”
“I’ll stay another day. I’ll cover the costs. I’ll leave with that procession tomorrow.”
The chief nodded.
* * *
“Do Samcheol… Do Samcheol. Right, he has no relatives. Just a wandering swordsman.”
“Is that so? Then how should we divide the bounty…”
“Do as you please.”
Incredibly, all of Do Samcheol’s belongings ended up belonging to me.
But what was even stranger was the attitude of the Haengdo Sect members. A wandering swordsman had died, and two had fled, leaving them without a cent of the bounty, yet they seemed entirely unconcerned.
“…”
It seemed that the death and betrayal of martial artists were not their concern. As long as the job was done, they didn’t care who died.
There were no inquiries about Do Samcheol’s death, and there were no plans to punish the fugitives, Oh Geunshik and Jang Yeomin. In fact, such concepts seemed entirely absent.
“So being a lowly martial artist means you’re just expendable.”
They didn’t care whether I lived or died.
The only thing they cared about was whether the mission was completed or not. After all, even if a couple of wandering swordsmen died, they could easily be replaced.
I couldn’t help but think again how brutal this Martial Arts World was.
“I’m feeling perplexed.”
Anyway.
Since Do Samcheol had no relatives, all the bounty and money found in the packet, along with his sword and various belongings, were all mine.
Really, it was pitiful.
For someone who had lived over twenty years, what he left behind was exceedingly shabby. Come to think of it, the bandit I killed last time was similar.
…If I died, it wouldn’t make much difference.
I felt uncharacteristically down, so I decided to visit Jaemi Son. Since I was here, I might as well have a drink. I felt like I’d become an alcoholic, but there wasn’t anything particularly enjoyable in this Martial Arts World to distract myself from the thought. This must be why martial artists are often seen drinking.
As I walked down the street…
—Rustle.
I spotted a somewhat familiar silhouette ahead.
“Huh?”
Dressed in tightly wrapped black martial attire… Seeing her sword, could she be a female swordsman? As I caught a glimpse of her face, I couldn’t help but mumble in disbelief.
“Aunt…?”
She was beautiful enough to confuse me with my aunt.
Her long black hair shone beautifully, her skin was fair, and she was quite tall.
“Wait, no.”
But that wasn’t it.
My aunt didn’t have breasts that size… I mean, they looked like they belonged to a watermelon—my aunt’s were half that size. Moreover, the eyes of this female swordsman were blue. Korean eyes are all black.
And that.
That backside below was also quite generous.
“But wait…”
How could such a beautiful woman exist?
To possess such beauty, could she be a martial arts master of the Martial Arts World?
Just as I was briefly stunned and lost in thought, the woman suddenly appeared before me.
“Ugh?!”
“What is your business?”
Her tone was stiff and business-like.
“Ah, um…”
Suddenly at a loss for words, I found myself staring at her and realized she had caught me staring. Embarrassed, I had no choice but to speak honestly.
“I apologize, miss. I, uh, momentarily mistook you for a celestial maiden and lost my focus… to think there could be such a beautiful being. I apologize for my rudeness in staring.”
“Oh, a celestial maiden, you say.”
The female swordsman, with her expressionless face, spoke with interest.
“That’s quite an amusing compliment.”
“Yes?”
An amusing compliment?
“Is that all you have?”
“Yes?”
What more could I say?
“…”
As the female swordsman stared at me intently, I found myself captivated and spoke without thinking.
“Even the lunar goddess, Chang’e, would surely weep with jealousy at your beauty! A goddess descending upon Earth, it’s only natural that I would be captivated…! Beauty is not a crime, and neither is being captivating!”
Chang’e is a goddess from Chinese mythology said to dwell on the moon. Her beauty is of legendary status.
“… I’ve never received such praise before.”
The female swordsman before me was stunning enough to be compared to her.
“And you say Chang’e would be jealous?”
“Yes!”
“Hmph.”
Her eyes slightly narrowed.
The usually expressionless woman suddenly smiled mischievously.
“That’s rather satisfying.”
Her beauty was mesmerizing, making it hard to think straight.
“…It’s satisfying, then I too find satisfaction.”
“Yes. Well then.”
“Take care!”
She turned and left right away.
“What the hell?”
I couldn’t comprehend it.
I mean, really.
* * *
When I arrived at the tavern, Jaemi Son was there.
We naturally started drinking together.
“Haha… I see you came looking for me.”
“I was hoping to work together, but I didn’t find you. What were you up to?”
“I went to the Giri.”
Oh, this is crazy.
“The Giri?”
“A place where I can unleash my joy and music… I frequent it sometimes. Care to join me?”
“I can’t resist a chance to dance and sing.”
“Hehe… I’m looking forward to it.”
Note to self.
Jaemi Son enjoys going to the Giri to dance and sing in his spare time. It wouldn’t hurt to see his skills if I get the chance.
We chatted over drinks.
“This recent mission… was about hunting goblins, but it wasn’t too difficult. See this? I killed the goblin chief.”
I was intentionally wearing the chief’s necklace.
It looked a bit menacing, but it was my achievement.
At least it serves as proof that I’m capable enough to kill a goblin chief, which will certainly enhance my reputation. In the Martial Arts World, reputation is of utmost importance.
“Hehe… just as my eye saw it. Good skill.”
“Do you think this means I could be celebrated as a martial artist who killed one of the Eighty-Eight Demons with this level of prowess?”
“Not really… the goblin chief is strong, but doesn’t measure up to the Eighty-Eight Demons.”
“Oh, really?”
“Still, you’ll gain reputation… Haha.”
As I received Jaemi Son’s darkly cheerful congratulations, we had another drink.
As the alcohol flowed, so did various emotions.
Should I mention someone died? Should I admit that I consumed the Inner Core? I just felt odd. I guess it was the confusion spurred by my experiences.
“Oh, but… I heard an interesting rumor.”
“What is it?”
“They say the Jade Flower Sword (옥화검) has arrived…”
“What? The Jade Flower Sword?”
The Jade Flower Sword.
It sounds intriguingly direct. It seems to mean a beautifully crafted sword made of jade, which must be the nickname of that female swordsman.
Seeing Jaemi Son talk about it this way, she seems to have some notable reputation as well.
“Who is the Jade Flower Sword?”
Since I didn’t know, I asked.
“What…? You don’t know the Jade Flower Sword, Namgoong Serin, one of the Four Beauties of Martial Arts History?”
“I’m not familiar with martial artists.”
“Even so, we are in Anhui province… Hehe, could it be that I recognized a swordsman who knows little about the subject?”
“Shut up.”
This overly sarcastic spearman.
Anyway, while drinking, I asked Jaemi Son more about the Jade Flower Sword.
“The Four Beauties of Martial Arts History… referring to the four most beautiful female swordsmen in the Martial Arts World. Limited to young ladies in their prime.”
I had a rough idea.
“Namgoong Serin, the Jade Flower Sword… as her name suggests, she’s the daughter of the Namgoong Clan ruling this Anhui province. They say she’s an incredibly stunning beauty… and she accomplished the pinnacle of her skills at a young age.”
“Oh wow.”
If she’s in her prime, she’s around twenty.
Achieving the pinnacle at such a young age is truly astonishing. Our sect’s lord has reached his peak at an older age, and she has done so at a young age.
But with the daughter of such a famous clan, it’s only natural she’d have been trained rigorously from a young age and consume elixirs like food.
“But how beautiful could she really be?”
“Aaah… they say she’s unbearably stunning. With long black hair and captivating blue eyes.”
What?
Wait a minute.
“Long black hair and captivating blue eyes?”
“Is there a problem…?”
No.
Could she be the very same female swordsman I just saw?
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