Chapter 101 : Dancer (1)
Chapter 101: Dancer (1)
It had been a while since he had been assigned a solo mission.
Namgung Jun carefully stored the spiritual medicine he had received from Muk Ju inside his robes before setting out.
Throughout the journey, he continuously employed his Lightness Skill, alternating between the old movement technique of Namcheon Palace and the Lightness Skill he had drawn from the Martial Repository.
Although his mastery of both movement techniques had improved, he still did not feel as though he had found one that perfectly suited his body.
Perhaps, now that his body had fully adapted to the completely transformed Infinite Steps Footwork and Adamant Essence Art, what he truly needed was an entirely new Lightness Skill.
‘But no clear inspiration has come to mind yet.’
Namgung Jun did not grow impatient.
There was no knowing when inspiration for a new Lightness Skill would arrive. Until then, all he could do was continue raising his mastery and understanding of Lightness Skills as much as possible.
After traveling for over twenty days, Namgung Jun finally stopped using his Lightness Skill once he had drawn close to his destination.
Mount Meng.
It was the mountain where the Heavenly Sword Master was said to be undergoing secluded cultivation.
Although it was not especially tall, its mountain ranges twisted together in an unusually complex formation, making it extremely difficult to find the correct path.
As he climbed the mountain trail, reviewing the details of this mission, a question naturally arose.
‘Why isn't he cultivating in seclusion at the main stronghold?’
For one of the Clouds of the Azure Sky Society, there was no place more suitable for secluded cultivation than the main stronghold.
Though the question had occurred to him suddenly, Namgung Jun did not dwell on it.
There were surely reasons or circumstances unknown to him, and absolute masters viewed the world through standards of their own, so it did not strike him as particularly strange.
Still, it was a little disappointing.
‘The chances of meeting the Heavenly Sword Master are slim.’
Namgung Jun recalled the conversation he had shared with Yun Gyeong-jong when receiving the spiritual medicine.
—Should I deliver this spiritual medicine directly to the Sword Master?
—No. It will be difficult to meet him personally. Go to a village called Suyeon Village and find the village chief. Deliver the spiritual medicine to that old man.
—I suppose it would interfere with his secluded cultivation.
—I ask for your understanding. He's an unusually eccentric fellow. It would be best if someone could see him in person and check on his condition, but that will depend on luck. I originally intended to send someone of Hall Master rank, but our current situation doesn't allow for it.
Since they belonged beneath the same banner of the Azure Sky Society, they would meet eventually.
Namgung Jun decided to focus solely on transporting the spiritual medicine safely.
About an hour later, as he continued climbing the mountain, his brisk steps gradually slowed.
“Hm?”
Where had things gone wrong?
Having completely lost his sense of direction, Namgung Jun wandered around the area.
Although he had received a simple map showing the location of Suyeon Village and the surrounding terrain, it proved to be of little help.
Even after spending a long time searching through the mountains while consulting the map, he failed to find a clear path.
Without a word, Namgung Jun tucked the map back into his robes.
Deep within the mountains, finding the route was even more difficult.
It was an obstacle he had never expected.
‘Perhaps I should have come with Senior Heo.’
There was little point in poking at random branches or climbing to the top of a tall tree for a wider view. No matter what he did, he could not identify the correct path.
Just as Namgung Jun was forcing himself to suppress the sigh rising to his lips—
He sensed someone's presence in the distance. The faint sound of people arguing brushed past his ears.
Even while studying the map and surveying the terrain, Namgung Jun had kept his senses sharpened. He immediately turned toward the source.
His foot lightly pushed off a tree branch, and his figure shot forward. Although countless branches obstructed his path, not a single one touched the hem of his clothes.
‘It's here.’
Moving as quickly as possible, he passed dozens of trees in moments, and before long, vague figures became visible beyond the brush.
At the same time, the voices became perfectly clear.
“A wandering performance troupe... These are the kind with plenty of valuables. Unload every piece of baggage you're carrying!”
“These bastards. That's far too much food for just themselves. Looks like they've got plenty of daily necessities too. Strange for a performance troupe to be traveling through such a deserted mountain road. Is there some hidden village nearby?”
“Answer every question if you don't want to die!”
More than a dozen bandits had surrounded four men.
The bandits shouted threats while pointing their blades at them, whereas the colorfully dressed men, who appeared to be performers, merely exchanged uneasy glances.
“We'll pay the toll. Just don't take the rest of our belongings. We need them to make a living.”
The middle-aged man who appeared to lead the troupe stepped forward and spoke, but the bandits ignored him.
“A toll? Do we look like such petty thieves?”
The bandits slowly tightened the encirclement around the performers, as though they had never intended to let them go in the first place.
Naturally, each of them kept their weapons trained on the troupe.
The performers' expressions steadily darkened.
“So, you've all learned a little martial arts.”
At the clear voice that sounded from behind them, the bandits froze.
They all turned at once and saw a young man walking through the brush.
Though his face still retained traces of youth, he was already fairly tall and well-built.
He looked as though he stood halfway between a boy and a grown man.
The bandits, however, paid no attention to his appearance.
Their eyes remained fixed on the sword sheath hanging from his waist.
“Who the hell are you!”
“You with these bastards?”
The bandits glared at Namgung Jun as they cautiously closed the distance.
One look at the murky killing intent filling their eyes made their intentions obvious. Seeing that he carried a weapon, they were looking for the chance to strike first.
Even so, instead of answering, Namgung Jun calmly examined each of the bandits one after another.
“Every last one of you reeks of blood.”
“What?”
“I said you're disgusting. All of you.”
The instant the words left his mouth, a blue flash erupted from his waist, tracing a broad arc.
The heads of the three bandits who had quietly surrounded him from three directions flew off simultaneously.
Three severed heads shot into the air, spraying fountains of blood.
The bandits standing behind them, who had been watching over the performers, slowly lifted their gazes, following the heads scattering blood through the air.
“You bastard!”
“W-What?”
While the bandits stood frozen in shock at the sudden, flawless strike, only Namgung Jun moved.
Stepping through the Infinite Steps Footwork, he advanced however he pleased, and before anyone realized it, he stood in the middle of the bandits.
“Hrk!”
“Attack!”
The bandits belatedly reacted and hurriedly moved to strike, but Namgung Jun's swift sword had already torn sharply through the air.
Slash!
Each swing of the Uicheon Sword felled four or five bandits.
By the time he unleashed his third strike, not a single bandit remained standing.
Blood flowing from the fallen bandits soaked the earth with heat.
In contrast, as the performers stared at the rapidly cooling corpses, none of them even dared to speak.
Swish!
After flicking the blood from his blade, Namgung Jun naturally sheathed his sword.
Even then, the performers continued staring blankly at him.
“It looked like an urgent situation, so I stepped in immediately. Are you all right?”
As Namgung Jun first cupped his fists in greeting, the performers belatedly bowed as well.
“You saved our lives, Young Hero!”
“Goodness. I've seen martial artists fight at inns before, but never anyone who wielded a sword as fast as yours.”
The performers steadied their ragged breathing before finally letting out sighs of relief.
The troupe leader, who recovered first, asked Namgung Jun,
“By the way, Young Hero, what brings you to this mountain? The terrain is terribly difficult, but there's nothing here.”
As he looked at the middle-aged man, Namgung Jun became certain.
These people were undoubtedly from Suyeon Village.
“I'm looking for a village called Suyeon Village.”
“What business do you have there?”
The middle-aged man became slightly wary, so Namgung Jun smiled.
“Lord Yun sent me. I have something that must be delivered to the village chief.”
“Ah! Lord Yun! So he sent you!”
The expressions of both the middle-aged man and the rest of the performers immediately softened.
Having lowered his guard, the middle-aged man gestured toward him.
“Come with us.”
“Thank you. I had gotten completely lost.”
“If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead. Think nothing of it. Let's get moving. The sun sets quickly in these mountains.”
Suyeon Village.
Only after traveling deep into the mountains and following a swiftly flowing valley upstream could one finally reach the village.
It was a village completely hidden within the mountains.
It was almost strange that anyone had built a village in such difficult terrain.
“Here we are.”
“So I've finally arrived.”
Namgung Jun answered with a bitter smile.
‘I'd been wandering in a completely different direction.’
Had he not encountered the performers, reaching Suyeon Village today would have been impossible.
There wasn't even a Formation concealing it, yet its location was so ingenious that finding it was extraordinarily difficult.
The performers personally escorted Namgung Jun to the village chief's residence.
The village chief had initially frowned at the sight of an outsider, but after hearing the performers' explanation, he welcomed Namgung Jun with a bright smile.
“Welcome. Lord Yun sent you?”
“Yes. I was ordered to deliver this.”
Namgung Jun took the wooden box containing the spiritual medicine from inside his robes and offered it with both hands.
“I've received it.”
The village chief seemed thoroughly accustomed to situations like this and did not even ask what was inside the box or check its contents.
After slipping the box into his sleeve, he folded his hands together.
“I heard you saved the lives of those youngsters who left earlier. You have my sincere thanks.”
“It was only right that I helped.”
“Our village normally does not accept outsiders, but you may stay here for a few days. The villagers possess many different talents, so you won't be bored.”
Namgung Jun nodded.
‘Since I couldn't meet the Sword Master anyway, I'll stay here and try to find him.’
After spending a night in the village, Namgung Jun casually looked around.
But as expected, he saw no one carrying the Uicheon Sword.
He considered that the Heavenly Sword Master might be staying in some secluded cave outside the village, yet his intuition told him the Sword Master was somewhere within Suyeon Village.
Trusting that instinct, Namgung Jun searched the entire village.
Although the village itself was not especially large, a remarkably spacious open square occupied its center.
The square bustled with villagers gathered together.
‘What's going on?’
There was no way a market would be held in such a remote mountain village.
Namgung Jun approached the square.
Various performances and acts were taking place there.
One woman took a mouthful of liquor before exhaling an enormous stream of fire.
A bald middle-aged man stacked all manner of objects atop his smooth head, building a towering pile.
On the opposite side, a middle-aged man walking a tightrope danced while flourishing beautifully decorated fans in both hands, while nearby musicians played a variety of instruments, producing lively melodies.
‘They're here as well.’
Among those performing were the people Namgung Jun had rescued yesterday.
The middle-aged man who had guided him to Suyeon Village yesterday nodded once toward him before forcefully planting the long pole he held into the ground, launching himself high into the air, spinning several times, and landing gracefully.
To someone skilled in martial arts, it might have seemed like nothing special, but to a spectator, it was simply entertaining.
“What do you think? There's plenty to see, isn't there?”
The village chief had quietly approached and spoke from beside him.
“Yes. It seems that most of the villagers have mastered some kind of performance.”
“Suyeon Village was founded by people who once made their living as performers. Not everyone here belongs to a performance troupe, but more than half have cultivated talents suited to themselves.”
Meanwhile, one performance after another continued across the square.
Each time, the village chief explained what kind of act it was while evaluating the performers' skills.
After more than a dozen different performances had concluded—
The performers throughout the square suddenly stepped back.
Only the musicians seated in one corner remained.
Their music gradually became faster and louder.
Amid the completely transformed atmosphere, a single man appeared.
He wore a comical mask, the kind children might play with, slanted over his face so that it covered only down to beneath his nose.
His brilliantly decorated floral robe billowed dramatically, its wide, flowing hems resembling the court robes worn by noblewomen.
Perhaps because his arms and legs were unusually long, the robe's dazzling appearance stood out all the more.
‘He's no ordinary man.’
Namgung Jun fixed his gaze on the newcomer.
All the villagers gathered in the square fell silent and focused solely on him.
The man moved lightly as though dancing, circling the square once.
Before anyone noticed, a curved saber had appeared in his hand.
Like his mask, clothing, and ornaments, it too was lavishly decorated.
“Watch carefully. He is the greatest dancer in our village.”
Whereas the village chief had spoken at length while introducing the other villagers, this time his introduction was exceptionally brief.
Namgung Jun, however, paid no attention to that.
The moment the dancer drew his curved saber, all of his senses became completely focused upon him.
‘That man...!’
The wondrous and unfathomable trajectories traced by the dancer completely filled Namgung Jun's vision.