Chapter: 388
When I followed my father to the restaurant, I noticed there were already some people gathered.
The number of attendees was not much different from those who had eaten dinner the previous night, yet Iljang-ro and Cheolji-seon were nowhere to be seen.
Cheolji-seon seemed to have stood out a bit, and as for Iljang-ro, who knows where he went?
As I entered the restaurant with my father, all eyes turned to us.
Clatter clatter! A few people sitting on chairs stood up.
It was Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah.
Their gazes fixated on my bruised eyes with a fierce intensity that was anything but ordinary.
“Who…?”
The question echoed—who had done this to my eyes?
Namgung Bi-ah’s words were lightly spoken, but the emotion was so palpable that Gu Yeonseo, who was sitting next to her, flinched.
Seeing that, I waved my hand dismissively.
“It’s nothing.”
“Liar.”
At Namgung Bi-ah’s firm declaration, Wi Seol-ah, who was next to her, nodded in agreement.
“That’s definitely a lie. If Confucius says it’s nothing serious, it usually means it’s something big.”
“…”
The emphatic nodding of the two left me feeling a swirl of mixed emotions.
What kind of image do they have of me that they can speak so firmly? Do they think I just go around causing trouble?
‘…’
What made me really sad was that I couldn’t firmly say they were wrong.
“Who… did this?”
Namgung Bi-ah looked ready to draw her sword at any moment. What would she do with it? She had only just recovered!
“What are you going to do with that?”
“I’m going to teach them a lesson…”
“You’re going to do what?”
“Yup.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at Namgung Bi-ah’s words.
If I can’t even scold them, what can she possibly do?
Though I appreciated the sentiment, my situation was far beyond that.
As I gave no answer and simply smiled, Namgung Bi-ah stepped closer and carefully stroked my eyes with her hand.
The warmth of her touch contrasted sharply with the coldness of her hands.
Wi Seol-ah also approached and began to gingerly poke at my other injuries. It was quite uncomfortable to be the center of attention.
“I told you I’m fine! Stop it! People are watching!”
Only after I raised my voice slightly did the two of them step back, though their worried gazes remained fixed on me.
Come on, it’s just a minor bruise—why the overreaction?
Wi Seol-ah took a step back as if she had been hit in the gut and exclaimed, “If Confucius looks like this, the opponent must have been extremely strong.”
I nodded in agreement with her analysis.
“They were strong, utterly terrifying.”
“… Just how formidable was this opponent?”
“Extremely frightening.”
“Were they a bad… person?”
“No, not a bad person… I think.”
Since I couldn’t give them a clear answer, I sensed my father’s presence behind me. If I said anything more, it seemed like I’d be in big trouble.
Taking stock of the atmosphere, I decided to act casual.
“I got hit by my father.”
“…Pardon?”
“…”
I could see both of them stiffen at my words. Their gazes shifted focus.
They landed on my father, who hadn’t even greeted me this morning despite seeing my bruised eyes.
My father didn’t show any outward reaction—he just quietly observed the two of them worried about me.
Oh, was that even scarier?
Before long, the two returned their frustrated gazes toward me again.
There was a hint of resentment in their eyes, as if they were saying, “Why are you only mentioning this now?”
‘… When you said you’d scold me someday.’
To turn their accusatory arrows back at me like this was quite unfair and a bit hurtful.
After hastily finishing my meal, I headed towards the cave that always felt like home.
I had some training to catch up on since I hadn’t done much for several days, and I also had matters to discuss with Venerable Pae.
“I’m here.”
The moment I stepped into the cave, the sharp scent of alcohol filled my nostrils.
Phew! Grimacing at the overpowering stench, I glanced around to find bottles of alcohol everywhere.
Just how many are there? It seems like there are more than I can count on my fingers.
“Have you arrived?”
With all those bottles stacked in the corner, Venerable Pae stood in the center of the cave.
“What’s with all that?”
I gestured towards the bottles, and Venerable Pae chuckled.
“It’s just old friends enjoying a drink together.”
“That hardly qualifies as ‘just’!”
“Come on, isn’t that what happens when you drink and get swept away by the mood and fun? You’re still too young to understand this.”
“…”
I had to shake my head at Venerable Pae’s bemusing logic.
Note that I wasn’t much of a drinker in my past life either.
There was hardly anyone to enjoy it with—at best, I would raise a glass beside Ma Geum-hu when he took a sip of moonlight as a snack.
“If you refer to a close friend, does that mean Iljang-ro came to visit?”
“That would be correct.”
These old folks really knew how to indulge in their drinks.
From the looks of it, it didn’t seem like it was just two people drinking. Could there have been more? I really couldn’t be sure.
Recognizing my reaction, Venerable Pae burst into loud laughter and waved his hand.
Suddenly, a fierce wind erupted from the venerable’s body.
Whoosh!
The wind swept across the entire cave and exited out.
Surprisingly, I could feel the pungent alcohol smell evaporating into thin air.
‘It’s always amazing to see.’
I gazed at Venerable Pae in astonishment—his control over his abilities was nothing short of remarkable.
Sure, I could create wind like that too, but Venerable Pae’s wind simply whisked away all the air without disturbing any of the scattered alcohol bottles or stones on the floor.
Just how on earth does he achieve that?
Noticing my bewildered stare, Venerable Pae asked, “Would you like me to teach you?”
“Can it truly be learned?”
“Other people may not be able to, but I believe you can.”
“… No, thanks.”
“Is that so? What a shame—it really is quite a useful technique.”
With a tongue-click of disappointment, Venerable Pae seemed regretful. Even though I recognized its practicality, I had my own reasons for declining.
‘This guy really overestimates me.’
Whenever Venerable Pae attempted to teach me, he would often say, “You can do it,” as though my abilities matched his own.
What does that even mean?
He seems to believe I possess talent equivalent to his, but…
‘That’s simply not the case.’
To me, it was overwhelming to hear such lofty expectations.
Stand back and witness greatness, and you’d soon realize—
This guy is the real deal.
Among all the talented martial artists scattered throughout the Central Plains, Venerable Pae stood out prominently.
During our training, we often chatted, and he would sometimes voice his grievances.
“Why can’t they accomplish that? Youngsters these days lack the grit. If you want to do it, just do it!”
He would talk about how to apply techniques, how to read an opponent’s movements, and he claimed anyone could do it if they merely set their mind to it.
It seemed Venerable Pae was unaware that if it were so simple, even dogs and cattle would become masters.
‘It’s not that easy.’
As a listener, I truly had no words left.
A man who created an entirely new martial art, who, despite starting late in life, completely emptied his mind of what he had previously learned, is now one of the Three Lords.
That’s Venerable Pae.
Though the three referred to as “Great Masters” all had remarkable abilities, Venerable Pae was historically regarded as one of the greatest geniuses.
For me, though, having such a person hold expectations for me was merely burdensome.
No matter how you slice it, I was just a regular guy, not a genius.
“But you need to do it.”
“Sure.”
“Why are your eyes like that? Did someone hit you?”
“…”
“Your level isn’t one where you should get beaten up… How did you end up looking so pitiful? Ah, well, you just look funny, so it’s amusing.”
You find it amusing? What on earth kind of nonsense is that?
“… I got this bruise while sparring with my father.”
Venerable Pae’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Is it about the former clan leader?”
“Yeah.”
“Heh, that makes sense. How did it go? The duel with your father.”
“…”
Thinking about sparring with my father, there was honestly nothing profound to consider.
“I couldn’t even brush against him.”
A peculiar expression crossed Venerable Pae’s face at my remark.
“Your father hasn’t changed at all, it seems.”
“You know a bit about my father?”
“I know just a tad.”
“How so?”
“If you want specifics, then I just know. It’s not easy to find someone who has reached that level. Meanwhile, Ah-ha-ya, how much do you know about your father?”
“Uh… I’m not entirely sure?”
If you pressed me on my knowledge of my father, I’d admit I didn’t know much. As far as I knew, he was far stronger than his reputation suggested.
‘Now that I think about it…’
A question sprung to mind regarding Venerable Pae.
“Elder.”
“Yeah?”
“Why didn’t you offer my father the position of a disciple? Was he not to your liking?”
I might not have known how talented my father truly was, nor his current level, but surely he seemed more fitting of a disciple than I was.
It felt curious that Venerable Pae would press me to do my best while not giving my father the same encouragement.
As he absentmindedly brushed his non-existent beard, he responded, “You’re asking some strange questions. Why the curiosity?”
“I’m just literally curious, that’s all.”
“Hmph…”
Pae seemed to think about something and lapsed into silence for a moment.
Then, he resumed speaking.
“When I evaluated your father, it was before I had even begun my half-life journey.”
So that meant there was no immediate likelihood of him searching for a disciple.
“Of course, after what I experienced, I did think about finding a disciple and your father came to mind…”
“Yeah.”
“… But I discarded the idea right away.”
“Can I inquire as to why?”
“Simply because it would be meaningless.”
What does that even mean?
Did this imply that my father didn’t measure up? The chill of uncertainty crept in, and Venerable Pae elaborated.
“Your father has already reached a level where he has synchronized with his martial arts.”
“… Synchronized with his martial arts?”
I had to ask again because I wasn’t quite understanding.
Synchronized?
Maybe it was due to my continued questioning, but Venerable Pae adopted a mildly irked expression while explaining.
“Have you heard of the concept of ‘union of the Mind and Sword?’”
“Yes, I have.”
The ‘union of the Heart and Sword.’
It was described as the point where the swordsman becomes one with the sword itself.
I am the sword, and the sword is me.
That butterfly effect where one ceases to draw distinctions and becomes one. For a swordsman, it’s a dreamy milestone surpassing mere martial prowess.
Those who reach this level acquire the title of “Master” and are said to be able to draw that invisible sword called the “Heart Sword.”
This was indeed the level that Ma Geum-hu achieved in my former life.
“To unite with one’s martial arts means to have advanced even further than that.”
“Even further?”
“You would have fully comprehended every technique you have learned. Your body would cease being merely a vessel for your skills; it embodies the art itself.”
Though Venerable Pae’s explanation brimmed with complexities beyond my grasp, the weight of his words struck me deeply.
“They refer to that as transcendence. But it’s not something you need to understand just yet.”
“Transcendence…”
Why was I feeling curious about this concept?
I had never heard of it during my previous life.
It sounded significant, yet why was I hearing about it for the first time now?
“… So does that imply my father has reached transcendence?”
“At least that’s how I perceive it. Therefore, it is a concept I cannot recommend to anyone who has attained such levels.”
So that suggests that only individuals of the caliber like your father would even be considered worthy of such conversations.
Furthermore, was my father truly at that level?
‘I should ask him later.’
Could be a casual question during supper or something.
Having sorted that out, I decided to ask Venerable Pae something else.
“So, have you also reached the level of transcendence?”
“…”
As soon as I inquired, I felt a twinge of regret.
Venerable Pae’s expression had soured at my question. Was he displeased with it?
Venerable Pae let out a sighing voice before beginning to explain.
“… Do you know the minimum criteria for achieving transcendence?”
“I don’t know.”
“The pinnacle of martial arts.”
“Ah.”
With that statement, I felt I finally was starting to understand the concern on Venerable Pae’s face.
“I never achieved that level, hence my curiosity grew about what is found beyond my reach.”
“So you’re using me because you want to see that?”
“… The way you speak gets prettier by the moment. Using you? Pfft.”
No matter how I looked at it, my instinct told me I was spot on with my observation.
Therefore, he seems to be taking issue with my phrasing but won’t outright deny it.
‘Transcendence.’
They say you can only aspire to it with supreme martial mastery.
A thought nagged at me—surely there was something else I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it.
Does this mean my father is actually stronger than you? That question lingered.
It felt a bit difficult to put that out there directly.
‘The minimal requirement is peak martial arts accomplishment.’
These seemed like ludicrously high standards. Whether it was the Gu Flame Wheel Technique or the Heavenly Demon’s Demonic Arts.
Considering their difficulty, they were absurdly elevated martial arts techniques.
What sort of crazy reasoning states that reaching these is a prerequisite for aiming for transcendence?
‘It signals that it’s not at a level I should be targeting yet.’
Instead of adopting a lofty goal of transcendence, I should concentrate on elevating my Gu Flame Wheel Technique to nine stars.
“Let’s keep the chatting short and begin warming up.”
Venerable Pae twisted his wrists in preparation and spoke.
To “warm up” was code for practicing.
The rule was to avoid any techniques involving betting, just good old-fashioned sparring.
I’ve been battling with Venerable Pae often for the past few months.
Truth be told, I’ve never managed to win against him once.
More than likely, this instance would unfold in the same manner.
As I braced myself, fully expecting another round of getting trounced, I thought to myself:
“Oh, by the way, Elder.”
“Hmm?”
Remembering something I hadn’t mentioned to Venerable Pae, I continued.
“Why? Do you still have more to say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing too important.”
“Out with it.”
“My father mentioned he would like to meet you.”
“…What?”
Venerable Pae looked genuinely taken aback by my words.
“Suddenly? Why would your father…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing serious.”
Fumbling at Venerable Pae’s reaction, I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly.
“Let’s just say I was caught using your techniques during our training match.”
“What…?”
“I was trying to pull off your martial arts while sparring with him, but he caught on immediately.”
Hahaha!
I tried to downplay the situation, spinning it into a lighthearted accident.
“So, my father would like to meet you. Is that okay?”
At my request, Venerable Pae’s expression suddenly soured dramatically.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.