Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 59 : Return

Return

The journey back was somewhat leisurely.

The group did not rush their horses onward.

While riding briskly atop his horse, Jeong-un recalled what had happened.

Even though quite a bit of time had passed since he had exited the gates of the Heavenly Martial Hall, one memory remained vivid in his mind.

"The Ming Sect, he said."

Those people commonly called the Demonic Cult.

He even called himself the cult leader, claiming leadership.

Judging only from his martial skills, it made sense—he certainly belonged to the realm of top masters.

Jeong-un still did not know how that man had escaped from within the range of his sword strike.

That moment when he was about to behead him still lingered vividly in his mind.

Even the sensation, like futility, that ran through his fingertips at the very moment when his true ki reached out at full strength.

"What sort of realm is that?"

It was as if the man could split into two entities within the same space.

It was something inconceivable by common sense.

But martial artists are those who contain true ki within their bodies and move as lightly as if vaulting over a wall, so nothing is impossible in their world.

Therefore, saying something was impossible should not be uttered lightly in the martial world.

"I can catch up. No— I must surpass him."

He had already decided to seek out the end of the sword.

It would not do to merely marvel at the mastery of others.

If that man could achieve it, so could he.

Without such resolve, one could not progress further.

"......"

As he recalled that man, for some reason, his gut felt uncomfortable.

It was because, naturally, the natural energy that filled his lower dantian accompanied his thoughts.

'No, I shouldn't let this unsettle me.'

At first, he regarded that alien sensation as an obstacle.

Because the true ki he had been accumulating slowly with One Illumination Movement Technique was displaced by that unfamiliar internal energy and did not circulate smoothly.

But as he introspected his body and operated the true ki, he realized something.

This was by no means a burden.

'There's nothing wrong with internal energy itself.'

Internal energy is just internal energy. How it is used depends wholly on oneself.

Besides, the nature of that internal energy wasn't impure, either; it was just that the internal energy Jeong-un had accumulated was so inherently pure.

It was similar to how it felt after ingesting a cultivation pill made from ten-year-old Polygonum multiflorum at the Yu household.

Thus, one thought naturally arose.

Perhaps he had absorbed a portion of the internal energy from the Immortal Spirit Pill.

Reasonably, unless that was the case, it would be difficult to explain this phenomenon.

But if so, further doubts arose like a tail.

Why was he able to absorb the internal energy of the Immortal Spirit Pill?

And why had that man left him be?

"... Let's stop thinking about it."

He made up his mind that way.

He decided only to think about how to make use of it.

For now, that was the best course.

After all, he was bound to meet that man again someday.

Moreover, not long after, he saw its immediate effects.

He used the heaviness of that internal energy to lay the foundation for the second move of the Unique Sword Technique.

The ferocity of the internal energy surging along his meridians remained vivid in his senses.

He channeled true ki into the Yongcheon point, planted a forcible stride, burst forth vital ki, and then redirected that explosive recoil through his wrist.

Taming such wild, unpredictable energy reminded him of the process of breaking in a wild stallion.

A certain tale naturally came to mind.

The story of a man named Jeok Cheong who tamed a horse as fierce as a dragon.

As it surfaced, he took the name as it was.

Jeok Cheong Subdues the Dragon(狄靑降龍).

That became the name of the Unique Sword Technique's second move.

"So, how does it feel to return after accomplishing so much?"

Before he knew it, Baek Sang had ridden up alongside him and asked in a subtle tone.

"Me, sir?"

Jeong-un replied with a questioning voice.

Baek Sang would sometimes say such random things.

"Yes. You might not have intended it, but you completed a long mission quite well. That means you achieved a lot."

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir."

Jeong-un turned his head forward as he answered.

There were many ears listening around.

Even though everyone seemed to be busy with their own matters, martial artists have ears that miss not a single word.

He did not want to draw attention or be seen as ostentatious for no reason.

Besides, he honestly did not know if he had earned any merit at all.

All he did in that tomb was get struck by that man and lose consciousness.

"If getting hit counts as merit, maybe I should've taken a few more blows."

He even twisted it in his mind on purpose, not wanting to acknowledge it.

"What do you mean you don't know? You saved the lives of three companions with quick thinking and survived in there yourself. Is that all? You also found and created a chance to annihilate those vile members of the Evil Faction hiding inside."

"I didn't do it alone."

"And capturing the leader—that doesn't count for anything?"

"He wasn't actually that skilled in martial arts."

"... You're way too modest."

Baek Sang said with a wry smile.

Seeing that, Jeong-un half-reluctantly opened up a bit.

"I'm not interested in things like merit."

"Why not?"

"Because I am content to train my martial skills to my heart's content under the strong support of the Heavenly Martial Hall. Even missions are just a part of my cultivation. Of course, I did realize I couldn't keep my sword sheathed when I faced those people... In the end, to overcome them, I simply need to become stronger."

Jeong-un said more than usual.

Baek Sang, who listened quietly, replied.

"You're already strong. It's already hard to see you as just a one-striped warrior. The Heavenly Martial Hall is where the very best from each region gather. At two stripes, you could laugh at the Gate Leader of a small sect."

"What about three or four stripes?"

"Have you ever actually seen someone of that level?"

Now that he thought about it, he had seldom seen warriors above three stripes.

He had run into a few in passing, but those could be counted on his fingers.

When Jeong-un shook his head, Baek Sang continued.

"They're people whose martial ability transcends their age. At four stripes, not even the corps leaders can treat them lightly."

"Is it really to that extent?"

Jeong-un's eyes widened as he asked.

That even the corps leaders would be wary of them.

He remembered when he had first seen Yeom Baek.

Among all the martial artists he'd met, he was one of the strongest.

Martial artists at the Heavenly Martial Hall would be about the same age as him.

If what Baek Sang was saying was true, then indeed, "martial skills that transcend age" was no exaggeration.

"For reference, our corps leader is a three-stripe graduate of the Heavenly Martial Hall. Of course, he's even stronger now."

"Oh..."

Perhaps after leaving the Hall, he became a corps leader.

Come to think of it, he recalled hearing that Yeom Baek had been a corps leader the longest among the four leaders, having filled a vacancy left when the former one died on duty long ago.

"They usually carry out solo missions. At the Heavenly Martial Hall, which is always short on hands, they're like a ray of light. Naturally, they're treated well."

"Treated well?"

Even at one stripe, he didn't feel he was lacking anything.

As far as Jeong-un was concerned, the Heavenly Martial Hall had everything needed for martial training.

He had heard that treatment differed depending on one's rank, but nothing had really impressed him.

If anything, maybe the only difference was that at two stripes, one received a private room.

"I sense something unusual in your disposition—not your martial capacity, but your character."

"In what way?"

Jeong-un asked directly, not out of irritation but out of genuine curiosity.

Was he being judged for his temperament?

"No martial artist fails to cling to martial achievement, but you are especially obsessed with training itself. Others have their reasons, but with you, it feels as if martial arts itself is the purpose. And you have no interest in news of the martial world."

"Is that a problem?"

"Others might find you impossible to read. Reputation is important in this world. You can see that from how many people are known by nicknames rather than their own names."

Jeong-un scoffed at that.

Of course, within the Hall, Jeong-un attracted quite a bit of attention.

He had made a remarkable impression in his short tenure.

"What use is it, though."

He himself paid no attention to it.

Having a good reputation didn't help one's martial skills progress.

Thinking that far, Jeong-un remarked wryly,

"To be honest, I don't even know how others see me."

"You don't know?"

Baek Sang asked, wide-eyed.

"No, have I done anything to get people talking?"

"Despite not being from a renowned sect, you were admitted straight into the capital. In your very first mission, you disobeyed a two-stripe's command and acted alone. You spend most of your days in solitary training at the hall, barely interacting with others, and your technique is so distinct you've earned the nickname Annihilating Sword—or rathear Annihilating One-Slash..."

Jeong-un closed his ears right after that.

* * *

A few more days' ride brought them to Hanyang Prefecture.

Twenty mounted martial artists drew everyone's attention, and people made way from afar as they came into the market streets.

Once they passed the giant iron gate of the Heavenly Martial Hall, the martial artists greeted each other simply and dispersed.

Reporting their mission was always the duty of the person in charge.

However, as if waiting for him, Baek Sang called Jeong-un over.

"You need to come with me."

"Me, sir?"

"The corps leader asked for you to accompany me."

It was a familiar scene.

After his first mission, he had also followed the two-striped warrior to make a report.

"Of course. I can't tell the story of what you experienced."

"......"

Thus, they reached Yeom Baek's office.

As soon as they arrived at the door, Yeom Baek's voice came from within, as if he'd been waiting.

"Come in."

Yeom Baek was still surrounded by a mountain of documents, reading over yet another one.

But there was a difference from last time—instead of waiting, as soon as Jeong-un entered, he looked up at him right away.

"You look unharmed."

"Yes."

Jeong-un answered concisely.

After that, Baek Sang gave a report on how the mission had gone and its outcome.

It didn't take long, perhaps because Yeom Baek had already heard the gist through a letter from Jinyang Prefecture.

"Alright, you're dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

Baek Sang finished his brief report, gave a cheerful bow, and left, patting Jeong-un on the shoulder as he went.

"......"

Left alone, Jeong-un waited for the next words.

But Yeom Baek simply looked at him pensively, as if choosing his words carefully.

"To begin with..."

"......"

"You did well."

He began the conversation with those brief words.

"Now, tell me everything you experienced. Don't leave out a single detail."

So Jeong-un reported all that had transpired.

How the ground caved in and he fell, how he struck down several members of the Evil Faction, and especially when describing the man who called himself the Ming Sect cult leader—Yeom Baek's eyes widened so much they were about to pop out.

"The Ming Sect, you say?"

"That's definitely what the man called it."

"... I can hardly believe it."

He wore a look of utter disbelief.

Yet at the same time, knowing Jeong-un would not lie, he accepted it.

That meant the remnants, thought to have vanished, had truly resurfaced.

"You've gone through a major ordeal. The martial world is about to change."

Yeom Baek's face darkened gravely.

Then he lifted a slender brush, pulled out a smooth sheet of paper, and wrote out a long message.

Tap.

Once he put down the brush, he stood up and approached the window.

Without hesitation, he threw the written sheet outside.

"...?"

In an instant, a white hawk appeared and snatched up the paper.

It was astonishing even to see; calling it a spirit beast was almost an understatement.

When Yeom Baek returned to his seat, Jeong-un asked quietly,

"May I be excused now?"

"No, you may not."

"...?"

When Jeong-un looked back in confusion, Yeom Baek said,

"The chief strategist wishes to see you."