Bu Eunseol was lost in deep thought.
It was unheard of for someone born into an orthodox sect to be well-versed in demonic swordsmanship. Yet, the sword technique Yeo Hwanjin had unleashed in his final moments was a cunning one, designed to exploit the weaknesses of demonic swordsmanship to swiftly end an opponent’s life.
“Because the masters of the righteous sects have long been taught the secrets to counter the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects.”
Suddenly, Shim Wol’s words from the battlefield echoed in his mind.
“It doesn’t matter what they’ve mastered.”
No matter what martial art one had learned, all it took was to face it head-on with full force and break through. Bu Eunseol staggered to his feet. Though he had blocked the sword energy with his Radiant Sword Control, deep scars remained in several places. It was proof that his Radiant Sword Control was still imperfect.
“I survived…” Bu Eunseol’s gaze deepened as he stared at the darkening night sky.
In truth, it was a victory closer to luck. If Yeo Hwanjin hadn’t come to the forge, and if Bu Eunseol hadn’t triggered the Beast Way’s heightened senses to detect Yeo Hwanjin’s habits and quirks…
Bu Eunseol would never have defeated him.
“Time to move.”
Looking at Yeo Hwanjin’s lifeless body leaning against a tree, Bu Eunseol reached out and gently closed his eyes.
Then, he leaped toward the Tangsan Iron House.
* * *
“Yeo Hwanjin, a master of the Zhongnan Sect, has been murdered.”
Yeo Hwanjin was set to pass down his swordsmanship to Yeon Myeongjin, a master of the Tangsan Martial Academy. Yeon Myeongjin discovered Yeo Hwanjin’s body beneath a tree stump near Jangsan Gorge.
Who could have killed Yeo Hwanjin, who had been quietly training in this place?
The entire Tangsan region was put on high alert.
“Capture the culprit!”
Fortunately, Tangsan was practically the heart of the Zhongnan Sect, filled with its members. No matter how swift the culprit was, they couldn’t have escaped far. After that day, all warriors of Tangsan and the local authorities formed a tight encirclement to ensure no one could leave Chengdu.
“The culprit may still be in Tangsan!”
As days passed with no trace of the murderer, they began scouring every inch of the region. The same was true within the Tangsan Iron House.
“Is there anyone who’s slipped away recently?” shouted Woong Hwa, the head master of the Tangsan Martial Academy of the Zhongnan Sect, to his disciples as they searched the ironworks. “I’m asking if anyone who was staying at the ironworks has left!”
“Other than Master Dae, who left for Zhejiang a month ago, no one.”
Even after a thorough search, there wasn’t a single case of someone fleeing in the dead of night or leaving the ironworks. There was a new craftsman who had recently arrived, but wasn’t he the one who skillfully repaired the Zhongnan Sect’s swords?
‘This doesn’t make sense.’ To kill Yeo Hwanjin, one of the most exceptional disciples of his generation, the culprit would have to be at least a middle-aged demonic martial artist.
‘No, didn’t they say the Ten Demonic Warriors are causing havoc these days?’ He’d heard that the Ten Demonic Warriors were all young men. The young craftsman was indeed young, but that didn’t clear him of suspicion.
Woong Hwa spoke to his disciple again.
“Have you interrogated him?”
“Of course. There’s no trace of martial arts on him, and he’s been busy repairing swords all day.”
“Hmm.” Woong Hwa gritted his teeth. “Even if we can’t find him now, we will find him!”
As the Zhongnan warriors left, Yi Bok, the overseer of the Tangsan Iron House, let out a sigh.
“What in the world is going on?” To kill a master of the Zhongnan Sect, hiding in Tangsan of all places? It was like carrying firewood into a blazing fire. “This is Tangsan… They’ll catch him soon.”
At that moment, a blood-curdling scream rang out. Startled, Yi Bok rushed over to find Bu Eunseol, who had been repairing a sword in the forge, with blood pouring from his hand.
“What happened?!” Yi Bok asked in shock.
A trembling young apprentice, So Dong, answered, “I was carefully hammering, but… I don’t know why, I ended up hitting Master Bu’s hand…”
“What?!”
“I-I was hammering properly, I swear!” Yi Bok’s vision darkened.
Due to the recent influx of work, they had assigned a young craftsman to assist Bu Eunseol. And now, that assistant had caused an accident.
“Is anyone there? Get Master Bu to Cheonghwa Clinic immediately!”
* * *
That evening, Yi Bok stared at Bu Eunseol, who had returned from the clinic, and his jaw dropped.
“What did you say? Say it again.” Looking at Bu Eunseol’s right hand, wrapped tightly in white bandages, Yi Bok asked again. “You can’t hold a hammer anymore?”
“That’s right.” They said Bu Eunseol’s fingers, struck by the hammer, had their flesh crushed and bones shattered. “The nerves are severed, so I can’t move my hand,” he said.
“Did the doctor at Cheonghwa say that?” Yi Bok asked urgently. “Is it impossible to recover? Will you be crippled forever?”
“Yes.” Yi Bok’s expression turned hollow.
If the renowned doctor at Cheonghwa Clinic said so, it must be true.
The only silver lining was that Bu Eunseol had repaired most of the swords entrusted by the Zhongnan Sect. But from now on, he could no longer repair swords.
“This all happened at our forge. We’ll take full responsibility,” Yi Bok said warmly, patting Bu Eunseol’s shoulder. “Rest for now. We’ll discuss this again when Master Dae returns.”
“Understood.” As Bu Eunseol left, the warm smile on Yi Bok’s face turned cold.
‘A craftsman who can’t use his hands is useless.’ No matter how skilled a craftsman was, if he couldn’t use his hands, he was worthless.
Unable to wield a hammer, he couldn’t even be assigned menial tasks. He had become utterly useless at the Tangsan Iron House. Ten days later, a young craftsman quietly left the Tangsan Iron House.
Unable to bear the pain of his injury and the scrutiny of those around him, he quit. When he was valuable, they treated him well, but now that he was useless, no one saw him off.
The only consolation was that Yi Bok, under the guise of sympathy, gave him five hundred taels of silver and lent him a carriage from the ironworks.
Clatter, clatter.
A carriage bearing the Tangsan Iron House’ mark rolled out of Tangsan, heading down the main road. Sitting in the carriage, Bu Eunseol suddenly recalled Yi Bok’s sly smile.
When he was repairing swords, Yi Bok treated him as if he’d offer his own liver. But once Bu Eunseol became useless, he turned cold.
‘He did me a favor, in a way.’ If the kind-hearted Master Dae, Yuk Man-ho, had been there, Bu Eunseol wouldn’t have been able to leave so easily. With his strong sense of justice, Yuk Man-ho would have insisted on keeping Bu Eunseol and finding a place for him at the ironworks.
‘That’s the way of the world.’ Loyal people are rare, while cunning, profit-driven ones are plentiful. By exploiting this, one could easily infiltrate and leave any place.
Clatter, clatter.
The sound of the swaying carriage felt like a lullaby. Feeling exhaustion wash over him, Bu Eunseol closed his eyes. Thus, he managed to eliminate a master of the righteous sects and quietly leave Tangsan. After leaving Tangsan, Bu Eunseol returned the ironworks’ carriage and stopped at a relay station to catch another.
‘I need a quiet place.’ Through his duel with Yeo Hwanjin, Bu Eunseol had gained an indescribable enlightenment. Moreover, by eliminating a righteous sect master, he had secured another four months of precious time.
To process this, he needed to return to Nangyang Pavilion as soon as possible.
“Young master.” As he entered the relay station, a young man bowed respectfully to Bu Eunseol.
Though he appeared unremarkable, a sharp glint occasionally flashed in his eyes. It was clear he was a member of the Peongan Corps of Nangyang Pavilion.
“Would you like to try this carriage? It’s sturdy, built for long journeys.”
“Let’s do it.” As Bu Eunseol boarded the carriage, the man followed and spoke in a low voice. “The Grandmaster has ordered you not to return to the pavilion.”
As expected, he was a Peongan Corps member from Nangyang Pavilion.
“Why not?” Bu Eunseol asked.
A hint of respect flickered in the man’s eyes as he answered, “Word has spread in the martial world that you defeated a righteous sect master. Not only Zhongnan but also Mount Hua has mobilized.”
“Mount Hua?”
“Yes. Zhongnan and Mount Hua are tracking the movements of the Ten Demonic Warriors who killed Yeo Hwanjin. If you return to Nangyang Pavilion now, it could cause trouble.”
“What did the Grandmaster say?”
“He said to stay low for a couple of months and refine your martial arts. He’ll contact you through a messenger when things calm down.”
‘As expected of the Grandmaster.’ Baek Yeon, who had a grasp of the martial world’s information like the back of his hand, had even considered the time Bu Eunseol needed to process the enlightenment gained from his fierce battle.
“Anywhere is fine, then?”
“Yes.” After a moment of deep thought, Bu Eunseol nodded. “Understood.”
* * *
Jinhwang Courtyard
This was one of the five luxurious annexes of Unrae Guest House, the most upscale inn in Jinyang. Renting it for a day cost over three hundred taels, making it a place frequented only by high-ranking officials or the ultra-wealthy.
Yet, a month ago, someone had rented not only Jinhwang Courtyard but all five annexes of Unrae Guest House.
‘I detest noise and bustle.’ To rent all five annexes, each costing three hundred taels a day, for such a trivial reason?
Moreover, the renter was a strikingly handsome young man, barely past his early twenties. Some whispered he was the son of a merchant trading beyond the border, others that he was the heir of a high-ranking official. Regardless of the rumors, the young man spent his days leisurely touring the scenic spots and mountains around Jinyang, living like a carefree wanderer.
Inside Jinhwang Courtyard, a beautiful garden surrounded by rare flowers and plants featured a small pond. Next to it stood a small pavilion, where a man sat quietly with his eyes closed.
He wore a robe made of Heavenly Silk, the finest garment from the renowned Gyeongseong Gongsun family, so expensive that even the wealthy hesitated to purchase it. His face, reflecting the soft sunlight, was like a masterpiece crafted with divine care.
His skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent, his nose elegantly curved, and his eyes gleamed like jewels in the dark. Once seen, his appearance was unforgettable.
It was Bu Eunseol.
Following the Peongan Corps member’s advice, he had not returned to Nangyang Pavilion and instead stayed in Jinyang.
“Find the one who killed Yeo Hwanjin!” The Zhongnan and Mount Hua Sects were still pursuing him.
As the saying goes, it’s darkest under the lamp. Bu Eunseol was hiding in Jinyang, right next to Shaanxi, where Zhongnan and Mount Hua were based.
This was a battleground where both righteous and demonic martial artists clashed, a chaotic mix of factions—perfect for concealing his identity.
Looking up at the clear sky, Bu Eunseol took a deep breath. Nearly two months had passed since he arrived. Every early morning, he practiced his internal energy in this pavilion.
Humm.
As he began his meditation, faint specks of light emanated from his body. Time passed quickly, and another morning arrived.
Chirp, chirp.
As the sun rose and birds began to sing, Bu Eunseol’s meditation reached its peak, and a faint glow radiated from his entire body.
Humm!
With a low vibration, his body levitated half an inch above the pavilion floor.
Floating Samadhi.
His internal energy had grown so powerful that his body briefly floated in the air.
Flash!
As Bu Eunseol opened his eyes, a haze of true energy rose from his pupils. A gentle glow enveloped his body, and a breeze seemed to flow around him.
“This is…”
Feeling a shift in his internal energy, Bu Eunseol looked down at his body. Since his battle with Yeo Hwanjin, his true energy had grown stronger. And now, after two months, the flow of his energy had become so clear it was visible to the naked eye.
“I’ve reached the Fourth Realm!”
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