Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 278: Sayeon, Completes It

Clang, clang, clang.

The sound of hammering echoed through the air. The sound originated from atop a roof.

Lee Jaseung was repairing a broken roof.

Heavens, roof repair. It was something Lee Jaseung was doing for the first time in his life.

The middle-aged man looking up from below was the owner of the general store. He was the one who had refused to give Lee Jaseung a job when he first came to the village, after seeing his scruffy appearance.

"Is it almost finished?"

"It is nearly done."

"Thank you, thank you."

The man wore an apologetic expression.

The roof had broken, so he had asked Gao Ying at the woodworking shop for help, and he had sent Lee Jaseung.

The middle-aged man was now full of regret. Rumors had already spread throughout the village that Lee Jaseung was a diligent and capable worker.

Indeed, seeing Lee Jaseung work, he was as skillful as Gao Ying himself.

Furthermore, good things had happened since Lee Jaseung arrived.

The Yanghwa Martial Arts Hall, which had reigned over the village like a king, had closed its doors. There were only rampant rumors regarding the Hall Master and his son; no one knew exactly what had become of them.

"Once you finish fixing it, have a meal before you go."

"Got it."

Spending time like this with simple, honest people was enjoyable.

When he returned, he would live his life as the Alliance Leader.

His original life.

He felt he would not easily forget his life here.

Right then, something soft and cold landed on Lee Jaseung's hand.

"Ah!"

Lee Jaseung's expression brightened instantly.

It had started to snow. It was the first snow of the year.

A single remark escaped Lee Jaseung's lips.

"The child will be born soon."

The light in Lee Jaseung's eyes deepened.

He missed Baek Seolyoung terribly. He fell asleep every night longing for her.

He felt so sorry that he could not be with her during the most important time.

Was she enduring well?

Naturally, she would be. She was a woman wiser and stronger than anyone else.

Besides, Dan Woobin, Mujin, Ma Young-gi, Mook Young... they were all there with her.

He wanted to return right this instant.

He wanted to kick off from this roof and fly away in a single breath to the place where she, and they, were waiting.

However, he had not yet reached the Realm of the Mind Sword.

The Heavenly Demon Soul had said he would kill her if he did not master the peak of the Nine Divine Demonic Arts.

He would kill not only her, but his subordinates, and eventually himself as well.

The promised time was drawing close, yet the Realm of the Mind Sword was still far away. He had to exert his full strength and effort until the very last moment.

As he watched the falling snow for a long time, someone spoke from below.

"What are you doing up there looking so melancholy?"

Looking down, it was Yim Sayeon. She, who never once descended into the village, had come to find him.

Startled, Lee Jaseung lightly leaped down.

"Has something happened?"

"Indeed."

She wore a mock serious expression for a moment, then spoke with a broad smile.

"It is complete."

The secret manual she had been writing was finally finished.

After completing the manual, she had rushed here in a single breath, wanting to deliver the news to Lee Jaseung as soon as possible.

The manual was the accumulation of her lifelong insights and, at the same time, Lee Jaseung's last hope.

Returning to their residence, a fairly thick booklet was placed between Lee Jaseung and Yim Sayeon. It was Yim Sayeon's secret manual, made with the four treasures of the study that Lee Jaseung had bought for her.

One might undervalue the manual or her labor, noting that the production period was less than a year. In normal cases, creating a single secret manual could take years or even decades.

But Lee Jaseung knew. He knew how much mental energy she had consumed.

This was a manual created by none other than Yim Sayeon. Because it was a manual she made, the time it took did not matter.

"I doubt it will be of great help, so just use it as a reference."

It was perhaps the most humble remark Lee Jaseung had heard in his life.

It was the greatest secret manual under heaven—no, it was more than that. It was a manual created solely for Lee Jaseung himself.

It is never an easy thing to give one's everything unreservedly to a stranger with whom one shares not a drop of blood. Especially for someone who has reached the pinnacle of martial arts.

Lee Jaseung rose from his seat and performed a deep bow to her.

"Thank you, Elder."

Yim Sayeon said with a smile.

"Haha, receiving a bow from the Master of Jianghu doesn't feel half bad."

For her, he could do it a hundred or a thousand times.

"Go on out now."

"Yes."

Lee Jaseung took the booklet and went straight into his room.

He carefully placed the booklet on his writing desk.

Just looking at it made his heart throb.

Even if he had become the Master of Jianghu, Lee Jaseung was a martial artist to the core.

How could he not tremble before a booklet containing the insights of the hundred-year-old supreme master Yim Sayeon?

Lee Jaseung carefully turned the pages.

The contents were written in a comfortable style. Rather than a martial arts manual, it was a book containing her life. Naturally, there were parts about martial arts, but rather than explanations of forms or cultivation methods, the emotions she felt at each moment were naturally embedded within the stories.

For example, it recorded the process of how she came to store the liquor her grandfather had brewed. The very liquor Lee Jaseung had drunk before, which combined the Northern Sea Ice Spirit Herb, the Eternal Cold Yin Fruit, and the Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.

Yim Sayeon had told Lee Jaseung that her grandfather used to habitually say he would give that liquor to a disciple if he ever took one.

But in truth, that liquor was a gift her grandfather had given to Yim Sayeon. For her sake.

In his youth, her grandfather had liked her as a woman. He had sought out all sorts of spirit herbs for her and brewed the liquor.

Because he was her master, he could not reveal those feelings. Yim Sayeon also felt those emotions, but she did not let it show that she had noticed.

Because she knew the master's heart, Yim Sayeon never drank that liquor.

The inspiration Yim Sayeon felt on the day she received the liquor was recorded vividly. It described the emotions she felt while swinging her sword alone that night, and how those emotions influenced her martial forms.

Yim Sayeon's manual would be of no help at all to ordinary experts. It did not mention at all how to handle inner Qi or forms.

However, for Lee Jaseung, it was content that provided immense help.

Knowing that only a manual specialized for Lee Jaseung would be helpful, she had willingly revealed her private life.

Lee Jaseung felt a strange sensation on one hand. The fact that his grandfather had a youth as well.

He was such a terrifying and blunt grandfather, so it was not easy to imagine him going around seeking all sorts of spirit herbs for a woman.

Lee Jaseung turned the pages calmly.

Content caught Lee Jaseung's eye once more.

It was regarding the Nine Divine Demonic Arts.

Her husband had been of the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Naturally, he practiced the Nine Divine Demonic Arts, and he had once spoken to her about the arts after they had a spar.

If it were anything else, she would have forgotten it as it was so long ago, but on that day, she had lost the spar, and being highly competitive, she remembered his words clearly.

She had recorded his opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the Nine Divine Demonic Arts, and how the cultivation methods and forms were connected.

It was recorded that they sparred again later, but she lost again.

In a sense, it was more helpful than receiving the Nine Divine Demonic Arts directly.

That was not all that was recorded in the manual.

Episodes Yim Sayeon experienced while wandering the Jianghu, feelings she felt while performing chivalry, unbelievable and bizarre incidents, fights with masters of the Jianghu, she recorded the emotions felt while undergoing such things plainly alongside stories of martial arts.

They were stories others might just skim over, but Lee Jaseung became endlessly absorbed in them.

He tried putting himself in Yim Sayeon's shoes, and thought about what he would have done.

He thought he could read it with a relaxed mind, but because it was written so plainly, there were parts that were even more profound.

Thus, Lee Jaseung became immersed in Yim Sayeon's insights.

* * *

When ten days had passed since then, Gao Ying came to find Lee Jaseung's residence.

Yim Sayeon was cooking rice in the yard.

"Who might you be?"

Gao Ying bowed his head politely in greeting.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Gao Ying. I work with your grandson."

"Ah, I've heard much about you. Come on in."

Yim Sayeon welcomed him warmly.

"Where has the younger brother gone?"

"He hasn't gone out for a while, has he?"

"Yes, he doesn't seem like the type to leave without a farewell... I was worried something might have happened, so I took the liberty of visiting like this."

"Think nothing of it. You've come at a good time since I was feeling lonely."

Gao Ying had only heard stories about Yim Sayeon. He simply thought she was an old lady who knew a bit of martial arts.

However, he could tell that the Yim Sayeon before his eyes was no ordinary person.

"Seung is at home."

She signaled toward the room with her chin. However, Yim Sayeon did not inform Lee Jaseung that a guest had arrived.

"When practicing martial arts, there are times when one becomes deeply immersed in one's own time. When that time comes, one does not sleep, does not eat, and focuses solely on martial arts. That child is in such a state now. He has been cooped up for ten days already."

"Without even eating?"

Yim Sayeon nodded and spoke.

"He hasn't even relieved himself."

Gao Ying was flustered by the unexpected remark.

"Ah, I see."

Of course, experts of Lee Jaseung or Yim Sayeon's caliber could control their eating and relieving. They could stay free from physiological phenomena for a duration of time an ordinary person could not imagine.

Gao Ying could understand what kind of situation Lee Jaseung was in. He had experienced something similar himself. When he was so focused on creating a piece that he forgot to eat and drink.

Of course, that duration was only a day or two at most.

"I'm glad to hear he is well. Then, I shall be on my way."

As Gao Ying hesitantly turned to leave, Yim Sayeon spoke.

"Since you're already here, take some with you."

She opened a pot lid that was boiling on one side of the yard. Inside were steaming pumpkins. Yim Sayeon brought a pumpkin on a tray and sliced it into bite-sized pieces with a knife.

"Yes. Then I shall eat gratefully."

Gao Ying sat on the wooden porch and ate the pumpkin.

"It is delicious."

It truly tasted better than it looked.

"Eat plenty."

"Thank you."

After eating another piece of pumpkin, Gao Ying spoke suggestively.

"Your grandson's talent is a waste."

"He has a knack for handiwork, doesn't he?"

"It's more than just a knack. If he continues to learn woodworking, he will become a famous artisan."

"Likely."

Gao Ying wished for Lee Jaseung to continue learning woodworking. It did not matter if the person teaching him wasn't himself. It was just a waste for that talent to go to ruin.

"Of course, I've noticed he isn't the type of person to leisurely learn woodworking."

Yim Sayeon spoke with a smile.

"Yes, that's right. There is a place that needs that child more."

"It's a pity, but I suppose it can't be helped."

Gao Ying could now tell for certain. That neither Lee Jaseung nor the Yim Sayeon before his eyes were the people he thought they were.

They were undoubtedly true Jianghu people who had come to this village for a short while due to circumstances. And very great masters at that.

He felt he now knew why the Yanghwa Martial Arts Hall had disappeared.

Lee Jaseung had surely wiped it out.

It was right then.

With a clicking sound, the door opened and Lee Jaseung appeared.

Lee Jaseung looked extremely haggard.

In a trembling voice, Yim Sayeon asked the question upon which the fate of everyone depended.

"Did you attain it?"