Chapter 193. Messenger from the Past (3)

The Murim Academy entered a temporary fifteen-day break in consideration of those injured in the Sichuan incident.

Thanks to that, our group, which had been overexerting itself all this time, could also take a rest, and with nothing to do, I once again devoted myself to the training I had been putting off.

“Even looking at it again, I still don’t understand it. What kind of sword art is this mess?”

People said there were as many peculiar martial arts in the world as there were people, but the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven was especially unusual even among them.

It was composed of three forms, but it could not be seen as merely three forms.

Because the elements that formed each form were not a regular sequence of movements, but movement itself, any movement could become a form, and conversely, even if one followed a form exactly, it might not be a form.

“Is it similar to the Flowing Cloud Divine Art in that sense?”

The Flowing Cloud Sect’s martial arts were mocked as half-finished, but this was not because their martial arts had been lost or their transmission severed like Taeul Sect’s.

The martial art itself was intact, but the way to learn it directly was not something transmitted through letters.

Most likely, at some point in the previous generations, the transmission of the Flowing Cloud Divine Art had been severed, and the Flowing Cloud Divine Art, lacking complete instruction, had fallen into a half-finished martial art.

“At least I remember Master Baek’s movements in detail, so I can train by myself.”

Originally, martial arts like the Flowing Cloud Divine Art could not be learned alone.

This was also why Yaryul Jae had thought to complete the martial art through real combat.

According to him, though he had completed it far too late, the martial art had ultimately been completed within his lifetime.

Just as I had done for Murong Jae-hwa, I wanted to pass on to Yaryul Geuk the martial art that Yaryul Jae had risked his life to complete in my past life, but…….

“Ah! I don’t know! What the hell am I supposed to do about that little bastard having no manners!”

After shaking off my stray thoughts, I once again focused on training.

If the profundity of the First Form of the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven was Extreme Swiftness, then the profundity of the Second Form was Perfection.

It was closer to a defensive technique than an offensive technique, but as I said earlier, it was not limited to defense.

It meant it was a form that could turn into an offensive technique as much as needed.

“To be precise, it’s the concept of hitting with a shield.”

This was not an expression I had come up with, but something written in Baek Hae-gwang’s Secret Manual.

[Block with a shield and strike with a shield. Then there is no need to draw a separate sword.]

The only man under heaven who would describe a sword screen in this manner was the Sword Demon.

Though the leap was somewhat extreme, the Second Form, Perfection, was not a sword screen that retreated, but a sword screen that advanced.

The Sword Demon’s disposition appeared clearly in his martial art as well.

He was a person who believed, ‘The best defense is offense.’

I continued reading the Secret Manual of the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven in my head.

[There must be no gap in the screen. The Black Path’s Hidden Weapons are small enough to be invisible. The screen must be as hard as diamond. The Shandong Ak Clan’s Hegemonic Way is powerful enough to blow away the opponent who blocks it.]

As befitted a sword form created through hundreds, no, thousands of real battles, the Secret Manual was described intuitively, without abstruse characters.

Within it were also occasional records of bouts against masters he had experienced, and even the martial duels in which he had ultimately been defeated were written in detail.

The descriptions were so detailed and precise that even though I had not seen them in person, I could picture the opponents in my head.

“Good. Shall I begin?”

Calmly, I began turning the letters organized in my head into images.

‘First, fill the gaps.’

The opponent was a previous-generation Black Path master called the Hidden Weapon Ghost.

He was an opponent who poured out Ox-Hair Needles, commonly used in the world of Hidden Weapons, as if he were a ghost.

I placed the Hidden Weapon Ghost I had created in my head into reality as he was.

Originally, to increase efficiency, I would have needed to engage in a Mind-Image Martial Duel, just as I had when learning the First Form, but that was too painful and had strong side effects.

If I was not in a situation where I had to use the Second Form immediately tomorrow, then it was more important to proceed step by step.

SHING.

The Black Dragon Sword revealed its black blade with a clear sound.

The Hidden Weapon Ghost waited leisurely for me with both hands tucked inside his sleeves.

After unfolding the Opening Stance, I immediately began unfolding the Second Form of the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven.

HUM, HUM.

The sound of the sword cutting through the air gradually sharpened.

Soon, the Sword Qi that had been leaving trajectories in the air along the sword tip changed into a dense net.

SWISH- SWISH-

Sword Qi once again left trajectories through the dense net, and now, not even the slightest gap remained in the net.

That was certainly how it looked.

“Aaaaagh!”

My muscles were already pulling fiercely, and sweat was pouring from my entire body.

The large sword screen, one jang wide, rushed over the Hidden Weapon Ghost as if to swallow him whole.

At that moment, the Hidden Weapon Ghost slipped one hand out of his sleeve and swung it with a flick.

The Ox-Hair Needles shot out in an instant.

Before the seemingly perfect sword screen, the three Ox-Hair Needles looked as though they would be helplessly blocked.

But.

WHIZZ-

Before I knew it, the three Ox-Hair Needles dug into the sword screen, aiming for my Vital Acupoints.

‘If this had been a real battle, I’d already be dead.’

I had clearly thought I had perfectly blocked the gaps in the sword screen, yet the Hidden Weapon Ghost found that opening and drove the Ox-Hair Needles through.

‘Again.’

Like that, I repeated the martial duel twenty-three times, but I could not make it past even five forms.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

It may have been because I had moved my body directly, but the act of unfolding the Second Form itself was so strenuous that I quickly ran out of breath.

On top of that, while it was not quite a Mind-Image Martial Duel, clearly picturing the opponent also consumed quite a lot of Mental Strength, so it felt as if my head had caught fire.

“Oof, this is exhausting…….”

After letting out a hot breath, I sprawled carelessly on the ground and reviewed the martial duel.

The sword screen that had clearly seemed to have no gaps.

And the Hidden Weapon Ghost’s Ox-Hair Needles that had pierced through it.

“……To think he targeted the gap in the trajectory where the sword had passed. As expected, a monster really is a monster.”

When I thought about how even a monster-like existence such as that had ultimately died without fully enjoying his Natural Lifespan, I still had a long way to go.

I soothed myself as I tried to sink down.

“Don’t be impatient. You’ve walked well until now. You just need to keep going like this.”

As I was looking at the clear sky for a moment, a familiar voice rang out.

“Don’t be impatient. You’ve walked well until now. You just need to keep going like this.”

A voice repeating exactly what I had said.

“…….”

I turned my head with my face deeply furrowed, and at some point, the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers had come up behind me.

“……Since when have you been here?”

Eun-ho stretched out his arm, spread his palm wide, then clenched his fist tightly and lowered his voice.

“Don’t be impatient. You’ve walked well until now. You just need to keep going like this.”

A playful smile hung on Eun-ho’s lips as he uttered the line meaningfully.

“……We arrived when you were saying that.”

“…….”

I had probably beaten this bastard a little less lately.

I glared at them with my fist itching, then grew a little surprised.

Wait, had their attainment in the Ghost-Breathing Step I had taught them already risen this far?

As I was feeling proud of them without realizing it, Eun-ho’s voice cut in again.

The bastard even formed a clasped hands greeting and bowed his head.

“Eldest Senior Brother, may I ask you one thing?”

“No. If you intend to tease me, don’t even think about opening your mouth.”

“I’m simply asking because I’m curious.”

What was with that expression?

The bastard’s face looked quite serious, so in the end, I allowed the question.

“……What is it?”

“Have you perhaps reached puberty?”

“…….”

As if the respectful attitude from just now had gone somewhere, his eyes sparkled like a child who had found candy.

“Do you perhaps feel like rebelling against adults, and as if you yourself have become an evil being hiding some secret?”

“…….”

“Or do you feel as though you will become a hero who protects justice and practices Chivalrous Righteousness?”

Wow, he really must not have been beaten enough lately.

Let’s see how far he goes.

“Do you feel like there is a dragon writhing inside you, and if you spread your hand, black energy will burst out…….”

“……Eun-ho.”

“Ah! Eldest Senior Brother, I understand everything. We have all experienced it as well. Brother Geum-pyo tried Void-Stepping on top of a wall…….”

I sprang up from my spot.

“Die!”

Extreme Swiftness, the First Form of the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven, shot magnificently from my hand.

***

After entering the dormitory, we chatted while drinking tea and eating the snacks the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers had bought.

“What business did you have at the market?”

“Dong-ryong’s sword cracked again.”

“Mm?”

Dong-ryong’s sword had already been replaced twice.

In the past, when the Appraisal Envoy visited, Dong-ryong had received a sword bestowed by the Murim Alliance, and during the Regular Exam, he had also been gifted the Firmament Sword of the Namgung Clan.

Both swords could be called good swords compared to ordinary swords, but even those apparently were not easy for Dong-ryong to use.

‘Of course they wouldn’t be. He uses a sword in such bizarre ways, so how could a sword have any way to endure it?’

Ordinary swords were made so that thrusting and cutting were balanced.

For that reason, most were structured with attention paid to the sword tip, and with an iron core inserted into the center of the blade to make it sturdier.

But because Dong-ryong freely used the entire blade, the load acting on the sword grew more and more severe.

I told the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers,

“For now, use the supplies issued by the Academy. A sword that has cracked once can break at any time.”

“Do you mean an ordinary Blue Steel Sword? That won’t last long in Dong-ryong’s hands.”

“It’s fine. Use one temporarily for now, and I’ll get you another sword soon.”

“Another sword?”

I had entrusted the Diamond Indestructible Iron, Phoenix Wutong Copper, and Blood Sea Jade I had received through Mantongbu to Wang Escort Agency and sent them to Taeul Sect.

It would take some time before the smithy was completed, but before that, I wanted Jang Do-won to become even a little familiar with the materials in advance.

The shorter that time became, the sooner the Red Radiance Sword would come into the world and shine.

And if I gave the Black Dragon Sword to Dong-ryong, there would be no need to change swords ever again.

Leaving all other parts aside, the Black Dragon Sword, made from Diamond Indestructible Iron, which would resent being called second to anything in hardness, would suit Dong-ryong well.

“Know that for now. If the sword you use as a supply item breaks, buy a new Blue Steel Sword at the market and use that.”

“Yes…….”

For some reason, Dong-ryong lowered his head as though he had done something wrong.

I stroked the boy’s head.

“This happened because you are outstanding, so I don’t feel that spending money is a waste at all.”

“Really?”

Dong-ryong immediately smiled happily like a puppy.

As I was conversing with my sect brothers for the first time in a while—

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

“Representative Jin, it is Jang Woo-jae.”

Before I could answer, Jang Woo-jae entered the inner room, exchanged greetings with the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers, and looked at me.

I had not made any sort of appointment with him, though?

“What brings you here?”

“……I have something to tell you regarding that friend Yaryul Geuk.”

I sent the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers out and met Jang Woo-jae alone.

“After you left, Representative, I kept watching Yaryul Geuk.”

Even though I had not specifically asked him, Jang Woo-jae had handled the matter on his own.

Looks like I have a very good eye for people.

Unlike me, who was satisfied, Jang Woo-jae caught his breath for a moment, then opened his mouth with a cautious expression.

“That is…… recently, Yaryul Geuk’s condition has not been good at all.”

“Not good?”

“Yes……. Until before, at least there were no wounds on his face, but lately, the wounds on his face keep increasing, and he has become much quieter as well.”

It had not been long since then.

Had Ak Ju-pyeong acted viciously in the meantime?

“If it were before, when asked what happened, he would immediately start by cursing. But now, he keeps his mouth shut and only lowers his head even during class.”

“…….”

“When I asked him in detail around three days ago…….”

Jang Woo-jae looked as if he were agonizing over whether he should say it or not.

“I pulled at his sleeve and glanced inside his clothes…… and there was not a single sound spot on his skin.”

“Haah…….”

Jwa Dae-gi, who had served in the army in the north, once said that while violence in the military was short and clean, the violence of martial artists was persistent and sticky, making it even more frightening.

Moreover, since martial artists gained broad knowledge of the human body while studying martial arts, they would know better than soldiers how to make an opponent suffer.

Something boiled and bubbled up in my chest.

“Where is Yaryul Geuk now?”

“I have not seen him for two days.”

“Is that so?”

I rose from my seat.

Jang Woo-jae immediately rose with me.

“What do you intend to do?”

“First, I have to go meet him.”

That damned brat.

Why is making people worry exactly the same for him and his brother?

***

When I entered the eight person dormitory, a commotion began among the Academy students who had been spending relaxed time thanks to the temporary break in classes.

“It’s the Black Flame Dragon!”

“Why is Jin So-un in the eight-person dormitory?”

“This isn’t where the people who always go around with him are.”

I ignored them and entered Yaryul Geuk’s room.

“Hup!”

“Wh-what is it!”

The Academy students in the room who shared it with Yaryul Geuk sprang up in fright.

I swept my gaze around the room and reassured them.

“It’s nothing much. I came to meet someone. Yaryul Geuk is here, right?”

“Huh?”

“Why that lunatic……?”

“I heard he was here.”

Seeing someone on one bed with a blanket pulled up over his head, I approached and yanked the blanket back.

A bewildered voice immediately rang out.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Huh?”

Contrary to my expectation that he would be crying under the blanket, a face I had never seen before appeared.

“What the hell, who are you?”

“……Isn’t that my question…….”

SWISH-

I covered the bastard’s face with the blanket again and looked around the room.

At that moment, one guy carefully informed me.

“His spot is here. And he hasn’t come back since yesterday…….”

“He hasn’t come back?”

“Yeah.”

I examined the spot Yaryul Geuk was said to use.

The other Academy students’ wardrobes and lockers were full of various private belongings, but in Yaryul Geuk’s spot, there were only items he had received from the Academy.

Even those were mostly worn out and frayed, as if they had been used for a long time.

‘Even Beggars’ Sect Disciples don’t live with this little.’

All he had were a few martial arts uniforms received as supplies and the Blue Steel Sword issued by default.

Other than that, there was nothing that could properly be called an item.

I barely managed to compose my expression before it distorted.

“Hey. Did he go around getting his things taken too?”

“…….”

I asked the Academy student who had told me Yaryul Geuk’s spot, but he did not answer.

“I already know Yaryul Geuk is being bullied. Did you bastards happen to join in too?”

“Wh-what are you talking about? Why would we?”

“Anyway, did he have his things taken or not?”

The Academy student answered hesitantly.

“They probably weren’t taken.”

“What does that mean?”

Just as my brow was about to twist at the vague answer—

“He never had anything to begin with.”

“……Huh?”

An answer I had not expected reached my ears.

“Well, we live together every day, so we know. We know just how little money he has. I’ve never even seen him go outside the Academy.”

I knew the Flowing Cloud Sect’s circumstances were difficult, but I had not known they lacked even the money to maintain a basic life.

I have a very bad feeling about this.

“Has anything been strange about him recently?”

“…….”

“You can tell me anything.”

“……Well, you probably know he got beaten by the Orthodox Path Association kids.”

The Academy student scratched his cheek as he answered.

“The night before yesterday, he suddenly apologized and said he was sorry for everything until now.”

“Apologized?”

“Yeah. When I sometimes went to the market, I’d buy things like snacks and put them in his drawer.”

“And?”

“Then he’d find them and throw them back at me.”

“He really is a crazy bastard.”

As if it were nothing special, the Academy student nodded and continued.

“Well, he is. Anyway, it was strange, so I asked why he was doing that, and he said his second eldest brother told him to.”

“Second eldest brother??”

“I heard it while half asleep, so I don’t remember clearly.”

Were there more brothers between the two of them?

But how had a bastard who did not even go outside the Academy heard anything from his second eldest brother?

“What’s your name?”

“Me? Why all of a sudden?”

“Just because.”

“Nam Eul-yong.”

“Nam Eul-yong of Divine Physician Hall?”

Oh, so Nam Eul-yong, who would later be among Jiangnan’s Ten Fists, had used an eight-person dormitory when he attended the Academy?

“Do you know me?”

I gave an appropriate excuse.

“……Well, because I’m the Academy Representative?”

Before he could express doubt again, I took ten gold taels from my robe and handed them to him.

“Keep half for yourself, and use the other half to look after that crazy bastard like before. If he keeps refusing, you take the rest of the money too.”

Just as I turned and headed toward the door, a voice filled with puzzlement reached me.

“……What relationship do you have with Yaryul Geuk?”

I stopped short.

I stopped just as I was about to turn the doorknob.

Relationship, what relationship…….

From the vast sea of memory, Yaryul Jae’s face surfaced clearly, twisted with rage as he blocked my path.

At that sight, a faint smile escaped me without my realizing it.

“I owe that bastard’s older brother a favor.”

Repaying a favor is fucking hard, seriously.

***

After leaving the dormitory, I groped through the memories of my past life.

Yaryul Jae had never separately mentioned his siblings.

Much less that he had more than one.

Though it was a destroyed sect, he had taken great pride in the Flowing Cloud Sect and often boasted about it.

Each time, the Sojeong Squad Members mocked it as a ruined sect, and fights always began that way.

Why would a man like that, setting aside his other younger brother, not even speak of the younger brother who had entered the Academy?

Yaryul Jae’s story and Yaryul Geuk’s current situation.

The suffocating situation Yaryul Geuk must have endured until now, and even the words he had left to Nam Eul-yong.

As I gathered the pieces one by one and fit them together, something suddenly flashed through my mind.

‘Fuck……!’

I hastily drew up my inner arts and sent them into both feet.

BOOM.

Clumps of dirt scattered in every direction, but I paid them no mind and unfolded the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art at full power.

‘Damn it…… Why did I think about this so carelessly?’

If my ominous prediction is right,

Yaryul Geuk will die.

No, perhaps he has already died.