Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 213 – On the Boat (4)

Moonless Void Sword[1].

That was the sword technique written on the paper Cheong-ryeong had hidden in the treasury of Corpse Blood Valley.

She had called the Moonless Void Sword one of the Five Great Sword Techniques that symbolized the Old Martial World.

‘Ah!’

The trajectories of the sword drawn by Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes.

In Mok Gyeong-un’s mind as he watched this, the image of the peerless swordsman he had seen in a state of selflessness while imprinting the formula overlapped with the old man.

Swish swish swish!

The refreshing sword path reminiscent of the full moon. This caused a thrill that made the memory of that time pale in comparison.

Entering the treasury of Corpse Blood Valley and experiencing a state of selflessness through imprinting as Cheong-ryeong had told him to recite the sword techniques, but this sword technique caused an incomparable thrill compared to those.

Swish swish!

‘It’s different.’

What surprised Mok Gyeong-un even more was the difference in the sword techniques.

Even in the sword techniques he had seen in a state of selflessness, there were no unnecessary sword paths, and each sword path was beautiful yet thoroughly focused on killing the opponent.

However, the sword techniques the old man displayed went beyond this and even broke free from the framework of existing sword paths.

‘Aah…’

It was like seeing a new world.

Confucius said that when one reaches the age of seventy, one can follow one’s heart’s desire, go where the heart leads, and do what the heart wants without deviating from any rules, laws, systems, or principles.

The old man’s sword was like that.

It evolved the techniques freely, breaking away from the framework of existing techniques.

Nevertheless, amazingly, this was still the Moonless Void Sword.

‘…I’ve never thought about it this way. So this is how techniques can be displayed.’

It completely shattered conventional wisdom.

Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t help but be genuinely amazed.

This wasn’t a sword that could be displayed simply by imprinting it in one’s head and remembering it.

This shock didn’t only come to Mok Gyeong-un.

Although she had no physical body, Cheong-ryeong was also an excellent swordsman when she was alive, so the moment she saw this, she was astounded and achieved an awakening.

‘This is the sword…’

She was the one who had gained enlightenment after seeing the two techniques of the Moonless Void Sword and created the sword technique of the Moon.

But after seeing this, a new understanding of the sword blossomed in her mind.

At this moment, a gap arose between Cheong-ryeong and Mok Gyeong-un.

Unlike Cheong-ryeong, who was trapped in a wooden puppet and purely observing the sword techniques themselves, Mok Gyeong-un was also seeing how the surrounding energy moved with each sword swing.

This difference could be said to be quite significant.

Swish!

Not long after, the old man stopped swinging the sword.

As he stopped, a faint glow was flowing from the blade of the Evil Commandment Sword.

It was as if even the Evil Commandment Sword, called a demonic sword, was paying homage to the amazing sword techniques the old man had demonstrated.

Looking at the Evil Commandment Sword, the old man opened his mouth.

“Excellent. Thanks to you, this old man’s sword could shine even brighter.”

Woooong!

At those words, the Evil Commandment Sword vibrated and emitted a sword cry.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.

If the sword spirit of that demonic sword, which was so picky about people, was like this, he thought the old man must have reached the highest realm in swordsmanship.

The old man looked at Mok Gyeong-un and said,

“Did you see it?”

“Yes.”

“How much do you remember?”

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un stopped himself from answering that he remembered everything without much thought.

He felt that the meaning behind the old man’s question wasn’t that.

He could remember everything.

He could even display the exact movements the old man had made.

But that was just a shell.

So Mok Gyeong-un replied,

“I don’t remember well.”

When he said that, the old man’s eyes narrowed.

Inwardly, the old man was surprised.

Although he had shown the sword to Mok Gyeong-un, he thought there would be a limit to what he could realize.

But he never expected to hear such an answer from Mok Gyeong-un.

“You don’t remember well?”

“Yes.”

“…I see.”

The corners of the old man’s mouth twitched.

Since he was a swordsman, he thought this much would be a sufficient repayment.

But it seemed Mok Gyeong-un’s potential was beyond what he had thought.

So the old man raised the sword again.

Then,

“Then look again.”

Swish swish swish swish!

This time, he performed a sword dance just like before.

However, just like earlier, the trajectory of the sword was incomparably beautiful.

But there was a difference – the sword path had become even simpler.

If the previous one was like a waxing moon, now the sword technique had become even more concise and clear, as if it had become a half moon.

Unlike the first time, the sword technique ended halfway through.

As he lowered the sword, the blade of the Evil Commandment Sword vibrated even faster.

The old man asked Mok Gyeong-un,

“How about this time?”

“…Even as I’m watching, I can’t remember.”

Hearing these words, the corners of the old man’s mouth rose even higher.

Then the old man held the Evil Commandment Sword again, assumed a stance, and said,

“I see. Then look again.”

As soon as those words ended, the old man displayed the sword technique again.

The sword technique was quite different from before.

The sword became even more concise and closer to simply swinging rather than being beautiful.

Nevertheless, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes didn’t leave the trajectory of the sword.

It was like the gaze of someone in a state of selflessness.

Swish swish!

The old man’s sword ended even faster than the second time he displayed it.

It was almost not even half as long.

After swinging the sword like this, the old man stared intently at Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes and asked,

“How is it?”

At these words, Mok Gyeong-un let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, the old man’s eyes gleamed even more.

The old man had realized from this breath alone that Mok Gyeong-un had been with him.

Eventually, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.

“With my lacking talent, I forgot everything even though I saw it before my eyes.”

‘!!!!!’

Hearing those words, the old man burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahahahaha!”

After laughing like that for a while, the old man stopped and said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“I just wanted to make a small repayment, but it has become interesting.”

“…It seems excessive for a small repayment.”

“This is also your fortune.”

At the old man’s words, Mok Gyeong-un suddenly recalled it.

Strangely, he had felt the Moonless Void Sword in the sword techniques the old man had displayed, and he had felt an overlap with the peerless swordsman he had seen in the formula from the Corpse Blood Valley report.

So he wanted to ask.

“Elder, by any chance, the Moonless…”

“Hohoho. I almost took this with me.”

“What?”

Shing! Click!

Before he could even ask, the old man cut him off and sheathed the Evil Commandment Sword into its scabbard.

Then he threw the Evil Commandment Sword towards Mok Gyeong-un.

As Mok Gyeong-un lightly caught the sword, the old man said,

“It seems the repayment is sufficient, and you should also wrap it up, so this old man will take his leave now.”

“What?”

At these words, Mok Gyeong-un frowned.

They were still in the middle of the river, so where was he going?

With this level of current, no matter how much of an expert one was, it was impossible not to be swept away.

So Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Can’t you wait until the boat arrives and then get off?”

“The place this old man is going to is not across the river.”

“But here…”

“It’s fine. And don’t pay too much attention to a passing connection.”

With those words, the old man shouldered the bamboo fishing rod and tried to move towards the deck.

It was truly an insane act.

He couldn’t let him go like this without even properly finding out his identity.

Mok Gyeong-un tried to stop the old man.

“Eld…”

Swish!

At that moment, the old man’s figure disappeared.

Mok Gyeong-un hurriedly flew towards the deck where the old man had approached.

And he looked outside the boat, but he couldn’t see anything.

No matter how dark and heavy the rain was pouring on the river, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyesight was different from ordinary people.

But he couldn’t see anything around him.

‘…What the hell?’

Was he really a living human?

He disappeared in an instant, and there was no way to know where he had gone.

“Cheong-ryeong, did you see it?”

“…”

So Mok Gyeong-un asked Cheong-ryeong.

But Cheong-ryeong didn’t respond.

Thinking something might be wrong, he touched the wooden puppet in his bosom, but she was still sealed inside it.

That meant she seemed to be lost in deep thought to the point of not hearing his words.

‘Did Cheong-ryeong also realize something after seeing that?’

It seemed to be the case.

Indeed, he also wanted to organize the things the old man had shown him earlier.

After looking around for a while, searching for traces of the old man, Mok Gyeong-un eventually gave up and sat cross-legged on the floor.

Then he closed his eyes and recalled the sword the old man had displayed from the beginning.

***

The bow of the boat.

Seop Chun, the Third Captain Commander of the Heaven and Earth Society’s main branch, gulped down the liquor contained in the gourd bottle passed to him by the exiled monk Ja Geum-jeong.

“Phew. This is killer.”

“Hehehe. You bastard at least know the taste of liquor.”

“Hahahaha! How can you call yourself a man if you don’t know the taste of liquor? Drinking while being drenched by the pouring rain on a boat that seems like it might capsize at any moment, the taste is truly exquisite.”

“Liquor should originally be drunk in a place like this to be thrilling.”

“Well said.”

“In that sense, another sip!”

Gulp gulp!

“Hey. Is that a sip? Are you planning to drink it all by yourself? Let me drink with you.”

They were two people who got along exceptionally well.

At some point, they had their arms around each other’s shoulders, drinking sip by sip, and were in high spirits.

Seeing these two, Mong Mu-yak, the son of the Vice-Leader, clicked his tongue.

‘Foolish ones.’

With the rain pouring down like this, can they even feel if the liquor is going into their nose or mouth?

Anyway, they were guys who didn’t suit him.

It was at that moment when he was looking at them with disdain.

Thud!

Mong Mu-yak closed his eyes and collapsed to the floor.

He wasn’t the only one.

Seop Chun and Ja Geum-jeong, who had been in high spirits with their arms around each other’s shoulders, had also closed their eyes at some point and lay on the floor, falling asleep.

Seeing them like this, the resentful soul Ha-yoon, who was holding the rudder, frowned.

It was strange that they had suddenly collapsed all at once.

But then,

“I almost forgot about you.”

At the voice coming from the side, the resentful soul Ha-yoon was startled and turned his head.

There stood an old man wearing a bamboo raincoat and shouldering a bamboo fishing rod.

Seeing this, Ha-yoon tried to kneel on the floor.

“Elder!”

But before he could do that, the old man shook his head and stopped Ha-yoon from kneeling.

Then the old man said,

“If I had paid a little more attention, your grave wouldn’t have been dug up. I’m sorry.”

“No. How is that your fault, Elder? It happened because I was lacking in virtue.”

At Ha-yoon’s words, the old man shook his head.

“Even after all this time has passed, you’re still the same. It’s time for you to let yourself go now.”

“No. I still need to receive more punishment.”

“Don’t say that. That child wouldn’t want you to be like this either.”

“…”

Ha-yoon lowered his head silently with a bitter look in his eyes.

The old man tapped his shoulder as if to encourage him.

Then Ha-yoon raised his head again and said,

“I apologize. Your lamentation must be deeper than mine, yet you still comfort this unworthy one. I am simply grateful.”

“You don’t need to be grateful. Understand?”

“…”

“Anyway, the matter has been resolved safely, and I got to see your face after a long time, so this old man will take his leave now.”

At those words, Ha-yoon couldn’t hide his regret.

He had hoped not to see the old man this year, but he had never missed visiting this place once every ten years to take care of the grave and shrine.

It wasn’t a bad thing for him, but it wasn’t the same for the old man.

“…You still haven’t found it?”

At that question, the old man shook his head.

“It’s not easy.”

“I’d rather find a suitable human body and help you…”

“No. It would be helping me if you push yourself appropriately and go to a good place.”

“…Elder.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m in a good mood today because I recalled old memories.”

At those words, Ha-yoon asked, puzzled,

“Memories, you say?”

“I greeted a young man who did my task on my behalf, and it reminded me of that fellow after a long time.”

‘!?’

At those words, Ha-yoon’s eyes gleamed.

“By that fellow, do you mean your son-in-law?”

The old man showed a faint smile.

It was a sign of affirmation.

Seeing that, Ha-yoon couldn’t hide his inner surprise.

It had been a really long time since the old man had mentioned him.

If that was the case, it meant the old man also highly regarded that extraordinary young man…

“To the extent of reminding you of him, is he that great?”

To this question, the old man recalled earlier and spoke in a meaningful voice,

“His talent alone would make even that fellow pale in comparison.”

!!!!!!!