novelraw Chapter 77
Chapter 77
Episode 77. Will You Walk the Path of the Demonic Outsider?
After dinner, Won Seung and Jong Bi moved busily.
They hid the silver coins they’d earned from selling spectator rights in the basement of the house next to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and organized their poisons and medicines.
Of course, all the painstakingly drawn paintings were also hidden in the basement.
Jong Bi asked,
“What about Ohgu?”
Won Seung handed Jong Bi a bundle of silver coins and said,
“That’s for Ohgu’s medical expenses. Give it to Gong Yi-gwan, and with whatever’s left, find him a safe house so he can recover. And pass this letter to Ohgu.”
He’d written that he had to leave Xiangyang for important business, and told Ohgu to reopen and run the Hundred Flowers Pavilion once he recovered, and to wait for his return.
‘I should say goodbye to Yeowol before I go.’
If I leave tomorrow, I won’t see her for a while… Should I sneak over tonight?
As Won Seung was debating, Yong Jo-woon came looking for him.
“What’s up?”
“Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”
He looked very serious.
Well, with a life-and-death duel looming, it’s no wonder.
Won Seung had already planned to fill Yong Jo-woon in on the situation.
“There is. A gloomy room…”
Won Seung led Yong Jo-woon to a dim room in the neighboring house.
He turned up the lamp and asked first,
“What’s going on?”
“Thanks to you, I’m in a three-way martial arts duel. I don’t know how it’ll turn out… but before that, I want to thank you.”
He was offering something, and Won Seung’s ears perked up.
“As expected of a Great Hero. You’re thorough with your debts and favors. I’ll gladly accept.”
“Hm… You really don’t know how to refuse, do you?”
“Since I’m going to accept anyway, let’s skip the pretense. So, what are you giving me?”
“I’ll pass on my insights into the Peerless Technique.”
Won Seung looked puzzled at Yong Jo-woon’s words.
He’s giving me the Peerless Technique… Does he want me to join Peerless Valley?
“The Peerless Technique is Peerless Valley’s secret art, isn’t it? Are you allowed to just hand it out like this?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I said ‘my insights into the Peerless Technique.’”
“Your insights?”
“Peerless Valley is a place that pursues the ultimate in martial arts! Each person can pass on their own insights to one other person.”
“So, does that make me a disciple of Peerless Valley? Are you becoming my master?”
Yong Jo-woon shook his head.
“Unless you enter Peerless Valley and swear the entrance oath at the Ancestral Hall, you can’t be called a disciple. And I’m not your master. I’m just passing on my insights into the Peerless Technique, giving you the chance to create your own version. But later, you must share your own insights with me. That’s how Peerless Valley’s martial arts have evolved—by exchanging insights with the world.”
“Ah, I see. So you combine the Peerless Technique with other martial arts to reach new realms.”
Now he understood how Peerless Valley became one of the Three Great Blade Sects.
“Countless sects rise and fall. Even those that once stood at the peak can disappear without a trace as time passes. Sects that stubbornly cling to their founder’s martial arts, convinced of their own superiority, inevitably decline.”
“That makes sense.”
“Let’s begin. First, you need to swear an oath.”
“Oath?”
“As someone who’s received the Peerless Technique, even if you’re not a disciple of Peerless Valley, you must swear to uphold its code.”
“Code?”
“First, in pursuit of martial excellence, you must not walk the path of the demonic outsider. Second, as a seeker of martial excellence, you must not harm ordinary people who know nothing of martial arts. Third, if the person who received the insights violates the first or second code, you must take responsibility and reclaim the technique!”
Won Seung tilted his head at the third rule.
“Wait… What does it mean to ‘take responsibility and reclaim the technique’?”
“It means exactly that—reclaim the Peerless Technique.”
“How do you reclaim something that’s in someone’s head?”
Surely it doesn’t mean cutting off their head?
“Even though these are my insights, their foundation comes from centuries of Peerless Valley ancestors. If I misjudge someone… it’s only right that I take responsibility.”
“So… that’s just a roundabout way of saying you’ll kill them, isn’t it?”
Why not just say it outright?
Yong Jo-woon looked at Won Seung with grave eyes.
“Will you walk the path of the demonic outsider?”
“…Of course not. I may not be a Great Hero, but I’m no demon either.”
Ah, does being an assassin make me a demonic outsider? Maybe so… But I’ve already sworn to myself not to walk the path of an assassin.
Yong Jo-woon pressed further.
“Would you harm ordinary people who don’t know martial arts?”
“If they’re truly evil? It’s not like only martial artists can be so bad they deserve to die.”
“In that case, you can capture them and hand them over to the authorities or the Murim Alliance.”
“So that’s an option. Honestly, I don’t like getting blood on my hands either.”
Won Seung readily made the oath.
Accepting what’s given is one of Won Seung’s virtues.
Yong Jo-woon asked,
“What internal energy technique do you practice?”
“It’s called the Clear Mind Art, a very fine technique.”
“I think I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it a Daoist-derived technique? Could you recite the formula?”
Won Seung looked at Yong Jo-woon with suspicion.
He’s offering the Peerless Technique, but now he’s eyeing my Clear Mind Art?
Yong Jo-woon explained,
“Some internal energy techniques can clash with each other. It’s only natural to check before passing on the Peerless Technique.”
Fair enough.
There’s no way a Great Hero like Yong Jo-woon would covet my martial arts.
After Won Seung recited the formula for the Clear Mind Art, Yong Jo-woon nodded.
“There’s no conflict between them.”
Then Yong Jo-woon passed on his insights and breathing method for the Peerless Technique. The Peerless Technique was a Qi Art that drew energy through the circulation of yin and yang.
“The Peerless Technique is a mental art that connects acupoints where yin and yang correspond, by circulating energy through both the Great and Small Heavenly Circulations at the same time. You start by connecting the Sea of Qi and the Life Gate, but after that, the acupoints each person resonates with will differ.”
“Should I try it now?”
Won Seung sat down right there and began his cultivation practice.
As he circulated the Clear Mind Art, over forty years’ worth of internal energy surged forth. Focusing according to Yong Jo-woon’s insights, the Sea of Qi and Life Gate began to resonate.
After finishing, Won Seung described what he felt, and Yong Jo-woon nodded.
“To sense it right away is impressive. If you keep training, focusing on connecting the Sea of Qi and Life Gate, the passage will open. Then, you’ll find the next acupoint that resonates. As you keep opening these passages, you’ll feel your energy change. If you manage to open sixty pairs of passages, you’ll reach the level of one Jiazi’s worth of internal energy.”
“Oh! One Jiazi!”
Won Seung’s eyes lit up.
“Remember, you must not force the resonating acupoints out of impatience. Even after completing a passage, the next one might not appear right away. If you force it, you’ll definitely suffer side effects.”
“Got it. Master Yong!”
‘Sixty pairs for one Jiazi means one pair per year. In my case, if I connect twenty pairs, I’ll have a Jiazi’s worth of energy?’
But Yong Jo-woon’s next words were disappointing.
“The Peerless Technique arises when the heart moves, and disappears when it calms. It can’t be considered a formal internal energy technique, so you should keep practicing the Clear Mind Art as well.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
It seems a bit flawed, doesn’t it? Yet it’s still considered one of the Ten Great Arts.
Looking relieved after passing on the Peerless Technique, Yong Jo-woon said,
“I’ll spend the night at my old house. Tell Blood Flower he’s free to leave now.”
“That’s something you should tell him yourself. And there’s something you should know.”
Won Seung explained the situation in Xiangyang.
The ambitions of the Prince Seong, the true Black Society leader Elder Deung’s schemes, the Dosan Forest and Sword Pact Sect trying to seize interests under the pretense of supporting the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and Clear Water Sect…
After hearing it all, Yong Jo-woon looked a bit shocked.
He hadn’t realized so much was at stake in his quest for revenge…
With a hardened expression, Yong Jo-woon asked Won Seung,
“Did you know all this when you pushed for the three-way martial arts duel?”
“No. I found out bit by bit as things went on.”
After a moment’s thought, Yong Jo-woon said,
“I only need to kill Hwa Cheon-gang and Cheon Il-hae. I have no intention of getting involved in anything unrelated to my revenge.”
“Even if you don’t want to get involved, someone might try to drag you in. Especially that Elder Deung—he’s too suspicious.”
“So the head of the merchants is the true Black Society leader… I think I heard the title ‘Elder Deung’ when I was young.”
“Ah. So he’s been the real power behind the Xiang River for decades? And yet no one knows his true identity… He really is a sly old serpent.”
“It’s not so strange for the Black Path to have a hand in the Xiang River’s business. That’s probably why no one suspected.”
Won Seung shook his head.
“It’s not his identity that matters. The real issue is we have no idea what Elder Deung is planning. At times like this, caution is the best policy.”
Yong Jo-woon nodded in agreement.
A brief silence fell.
“…Are you planning to leave Xiangyang? I saw you packing up earlier.”
“Best to avoid the coming storm.”
“I thought so. Can you tell me your real identity?”
“Hmm… That’s difficult. But I can tell you my name. It’s Won Seung.”
“Won Seung… If I want to find you later, how should I do it?”
“You want to find me? Why?”
“To hear about the insights you gain from the Peerless Technique, of course.”
Won Seung eyed Yong Jo-woon suspiciously.
What a flimsy excuse… Who does he think he’s fooling? He just wants to come chop my head off if I break the code.
Yong Jo-woon turned his head away and said,
“I’ve spent my life in the mountains, so I don’t know many people. I’m grateful for your help since coming to the world. I’ve passed on the Peerless Technique, but it’s not enough. If you ever need my help, just ask. If it’s a just cause, I’ll step in.”
Then why won’t he meet my eyes? He’s getting more suspicious by the minute.
“I live without a fixed address. That’s why I use the alias Pung Un-saeng.”
When Won Seung wouldn’t budge, Yong Jo-woon gave up. He knew he couldn’t pry anything out of this sly fellow.
So he stood up.
“You’re right. I’ll tell Blood Flower myself.”
After Yong Jo-woon went to see Blood Flower, Won Seung slipped out through the safe house and into the alley.
Even at night, the Hundred Flowers Pavilion was guarded by soldiers. So the likes of Zuohu or the Black Path could only watch from afar, and using the safe house, Won Seung could slip out unnoticed.
He moved through the shadows between alleys toward the Clear Water Sect.
With the three-way martial arts duel approaching, security at the Clear Water Sect was tight.
Not wanting to cause any misunderstanding, he knocked on the main gate.
A side window opened, and the same martial artist who’d treated his boils poked his head out.
‘Is this guy stationed here permanently? Why is it always his face?’
The boil doctor asked,
“What brings you here so late, Young Master Seung?”
“I have a private message for Miss Hwa.”
He discreetly showed a silver coin.
A hand shot out, took the coin, and the boil doctor said,
“We can’t let outsiders in at night, but I’ll let the young lady know.”
The window closed, then opened again after a moment.
The boil doctor said,
“If you go to the west gate, the young lady will be waiting for you.”
Won Seung circled around the wall to the west side gate.
But Yeowol wasn’t alone at the gate.
‘That guy?’
A smooth-looking fellow was standing in front of Yeowol.
‘Isn’t that the disciple of the Sword Pact Sect Leader?’