Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 84 : Return

Return

He briefly glanced over the men and women of the Namgung clan, then headed straight to Yeom Baek's office.

Yeom Baek greeted Jeong-un as though he had been waiting.

It seemed he had already heard news of Jeong-un and his party's return.

As they sat facing each other, Yeom Baek asked,

"So, how does it feel to have completed your mission as a two-striped warrior?"

"Which part of my feelings are you asking about?"

"What do you mean, which part?"

Yeom Baek's eyes widened with curiosity when his casual question was answered with a question.

Jeong-un responded,

"Are you asking if it was helpful to my experience, or do you mean my personal impressions?"

"What?"

Tilting his head slightly, Yeom Baek looked at Jeong-un and spoke again.

"Tell me from the first, one by one."

"It was a great experience for me. It was my first time leading others, and the martial world experience of my three comrades was a great help to our mission."

Yeom Baek nodded as if he had expected this.

Even though Jeong-un had quickly achieved merit and become a two-striped warrior, objectively he was still a young rising star who hadn't been in the martial world for long.

On top of that, having grown up in a rural military clan far removed from the center of the martial world, he also had little experience in it.

At the Heavenly Martial Hall, he was considered promising, so they hoped he would broaden his knowledge quickly through various missions.

"And your personal impressions?"

Jeong-un replied,

"It was sometimes burdensome to have to control every movement of my comrades directly. Having gone through it, I don't think I have any talent for leading a group. If it had been a solo mission, perhaps I'd have felt a bit more at ease."

"......"

It was an extremely honest answer. For a moment, Yeom Baek gazed quietly at Jeong-un as if at a loss for words.

'This kid...'

Normally, when warriors return from a mission and report their achievements, they do so eagerly.

After all, their deeds are recorded in the archives of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

Such records accumulate, becoming their honor.

Because of that, people rarely mention difficulties or obstacles they faced.

They worry that it could make them seem inadequate.

Even if they actually struggled greatly, or even failed a mission, they would usually try to embellish it as much as possible.

'He says a solo mission would be better...'

Yeom Baek lowered his gaze and murmured quietly.

Assigning solo missions in the Heavenly Martial Hall wasn't uncommon, but usually it was reserved for those at the three-stripe level.

Every member was valuable, but things changed once someone became a two-striped warrior.

Even in the wider Central Plains, such martial artists were prestigious.

On the other hand, to send someone out alone was still a bit precarious at the two-stripe level.

Their martial skills were impressive, but none were perfect.

If they fell into a trap or faced an unexpected danger, they could be defeated for nothing in the martial world.

If someone were to truly die during a mission, it would be a considerable loss—they'd lose a valuable asset that could have proven useful for years.

That's why a two-striped warrior would usually lead several one-striped martial artists.

Ostensibly, this was to build leadership, but really, it was so the group could help ensure the mission's stability.

"I will report exactly what you said. Are you aware of that?"

"... Isn't that how it should be?"

"What?"

"The report must contain only the truth."

"... Right."

Yeom Baek shook his head slightly, then spoke again.

"How were they? In your letter, you said you wiped all of them out. Were they really Green Forest followers?"

"They were former Green Forest people who tried to set up independently. They went too far and forced us to act. The subordinates' martial skills were unimpressive, but the boss was quite formidable."

Yeom Baek nodded at this.

"That's right. That guy was actually pretty well-known in Zhejiang Province. Heavenly Martial Hall once sent warriors to kill him, but they failed. Then his tracks vanished, and I never imagined he'd moved there. How did you kill him? Did you work together?"

Jeong-un shook his head.

"While my comrades held off his subordinates, I faced the boss. There were a few close calls, but thanks to the time my comrades bought, I barely managed to kill him."

"You did it alone...?"

As Yeom Baek briefly fell silent, Jeong-un continued.

"They say that enforcing martial arts in the Heavenly Martial Hall quickly raises your internal strength, and it seems to be true. My comrades' martial levels had advanced to a remarkable degree compared to when we first met. The three of them held off dozens of bandits."

"......"

"Young hero Baek, used an unexpected move to disrupt the enemy's breathing. Every one of those moves was invaluable in the melee. As for Lady Tang, her skill was exceptional and she delivered the most outstanding performance. Jo Gwang was the most surprising. As soon as the fight began, he preemptively seized the enemy's retreat and isolated them with precision. Thanks to his clever actions, we didn't let a single one escape."

Jeong-un clearly reported his comrades' contributions just as he saw them, without adding or embellishing a thing.

There was no need—after all, they truly shined.

Meanwhile, Yeom Baek made a wry smile inwardly.

'He's completely leaving himself out of this account.'

Rapid improvement in martial arts achievements?

A remarkable level?

Wasn't that all about himself?

Yet he calmly made it sound all about the others—how absurd.

"Yes, well done."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Jeong-un finished his report with a martial salute, but then Yeom Baek's voice called out again.

"... It sounds like you want a solo mission—is that correct?"

"Rather than wanting it, I just think it would make missions easier, with more room to maneuver. It's more comfortable for me that way."

As Jeong-un answered plainly, Yeom Baek spoke up.

"Being a lone wanderer in the martial world and roaming it wearing the Heavenly Martial Hall uniform are two different things. The latter is obviously more dangerous. Most people won't touch someone in that uniform, but on the flip side, if Evil Faction masters see you alone, they won't be able to resist coming after you."

"I have no reason to refuse that either."

Jeong-un answered with a subtle smile.

"It's easier, actually, if the enemies come to me first."

"......"

He wasn't bluffing.

The world was full of people who deserved to be cut down, and if they came to him first, he'd be ready to welcome them with open arms.

"......"

Yeom Baek grinned slightly and answered,

"Go take a rest."

Jeong-un gave a small nod and stepped out.

* * *

He headed not for his quarters, but for the training hall.

Yeom Baek had once mentioned that after completing a long mission, there would be a period of freedom until the next one—meant for refining one's achievements between assignments.

Jeong-un was a swordsman.

It was said that once one reached the realm of the peak expert, they no longer relied solely on their weapon, able to unleash sublime martial skills even with a slender twig.

Yet even those masters each had a favored weapon.

Jeong-un thought that, when a moment of crisis struck, they wouldn't be grabbing a twig.

'By now, I'm nearly recovered.'

The internal energy latent in his body was both a burden, hindering the recovery of his true ki and making its circulation less smooth.

Yet, it was clear this unfamiliar internal energy also felt Jeong-un's body was foreign to it.

Every day without fail, he performed energy circulation, intertwining it with his true ki, but still a great mass of internal energy filled his dantian.

Though he told himself not to be impatient, he was open to other solutions if there were better ones.

That other solution, of course, meant learning yet another mind method.

'It doesn't have to be a mutual resonance method. One Illumination Movement Technique alone is enough for that.'

One Illumination Movement Technique was a supreme skill for more than just accumulating internal energy through breathing.

In every process where true ki circulated through his body, One Illumination Movement Technique's energy control was used.

It was the very foundation not just for swinging his sword, but for moving his body at all.

'So, I need a completely different mind method—one explicitly for rapidly breaking down internal energy and turning it into my own ki.'

Should he pay a visit to the Heavenly Martial Hall's secret manual library?

After all, his invention of One Illumination Movement Technique stemmed from having seen the One Peach Heart Cultivation Method secret manual at the Yu household.

But he'd come up empty when he last went there.

'Besides, One Illumination Movement Technique...'

Strictly speaking, it wasn't derived from One Peach Heart Cultivation Method.

It was just that, after reading the line that it would take months just to sense ki, he'd attempted such breathing.

One Illumination Movement Technique was a completely new martial skill, crafted by forging entirely fresh meridian routes.

It was a mind method perfectly suited to himself, made possible because his senses were extraordinarily sensitive.

To this day, he clearly remembered the odd feeling in the soles of his feet after waking from that dream and touching the ground.

'No, don't be impatient.'

He'd grown quite accustomed to moving his current body.

If he rushed to solve an immediate problem, he might only make things worse.

Above all, he worried that casually reading another secret manual might somehow affect him.

To master a martial skill perfectly suited for himself, he needed to invent every move completely on his own.

Thinking that, Jeong-un sat cross-legged and performed energy circulation.

Gradually, he unraveled his internal energy and transformed it into his own.

'If anything, I'm not even slow anymore.'

In fact, he was making progress faster.

In addition to the speed he'd amassed true ki through One Illumination Movement Technique, he was also turning the latent internal energy in his dantian into his own.

What he needed most now was patience and time.

* * *

Many days passed like that.

The clear sunlight grew colder as autumn sped by—a season almost too brief to even call a season.

During that time, Jeong-un went back and forth solely between the training hall and his sleeping quarters.

Shortly after becoming a two-stripe and completing his mission, talk flared up about him again, but it faded quickly since he barely showed his face.

Even from the day he'd entered, he was someone rarely seen.

In fact, most at the Heavenly Martial Hall still barely even knew his face.

As the air became cold enough for his breath to show white, Baek Il-gang came to find Jeong-un in his private training room.

"Young Hero Yu."

Jeong-un, holding his sword, turned his head.

Baek Il-gang, carelessly draped in his uniform, was leaning against the door frame with just his head poking in.

"The corps leader is calling for you."

"A summons?"

Baek Il-gang nodded.

A summons—did it mean another mission?

Come to think of it, it had been quiet for a while.

For over a month, Jeong-un had been able to focus solely on his martial training in the hall.

During that time, Jo Gwang had reportedly returned from a minor mission with another two-striped warrior.

He'd guarded a royal personage making a secret journey outside the palace.

Jeong-un was inwardly surprised that Heavenly Martial Hall warriors did such missions, but didn't show it.

More than anything, Jo Gwang himself seemed very satisfied.

"Are you coming too?"

Jeong-un asked as he sheathed his sword, but Baek Il-gang shook his head.

"This time, only you, young hero Yu, were summoned."

"Only me?"

Baek Il-gang raised his eyebrows and continued.

"It's better if you hear the details directly. I was just tasked with fetching you."

Apparently, some people thought Baek Il-gang had nothing else to do.

His demeanor made it clear he'd just gotten out of bed, and he grumbled as he spoke.

With a puzzled look, Jeong-un left the training room.

'They called only me? It can't be a solo mission, can it?'

He'd heard that two-stripe martial artists weren't assigned solo missions.

If such things were needed, they'd be assigned to higher-ranking warriors.

"Well then, I'm off. Let me know if you need any help."

"Thank you."

Sending the yawning Baek Il-gang back to his quarters, Jeong-un made his way to Yeom Baek's office for an audience.

As usual, Yeom Baek was behind his desk, looking down at a booklet, and he lifted his head at Jeong-un's entrance.

"You've been assigned a solo mission."

"...?"

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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