Chapter 23
[I’m sorry… Grandpa.]
[What for?]
[The Ten-Second Invincible Arts that you created is an invincible brawling art that has never been defeated. But I lost. The Twin Demon Geezers were really scary. Because of me… because of me, the Ten-Second Invincible Arts was defeated…]
[Hoho. You’re wrong, So-ah.]
[Huh?]
[It wasn’t the Ten-Second Invincible Arts that was defeated, but you.]
[Ah…]
[There are only strong people, not strong martial arts. Just because you were defeated by the Twin Demon Geezers, it doesn’t mean that the Ten-Second Invincible Arts was defeated by his Heaven-Shattering Demon Emperor Sword.]
[But…]
[It’s a story from a long, long time ago, but there was a sect called the Taiji Sect in the Jianghu. Funnily enough, Grand Master Jo of the Taiji Sect ruled the martial world of his time with low-level martial arts like the Six Harmonies Fist and the Three Talents Swordplay. Martial arts are just a means, they cannot be a goal or a value.]
[Grandpa…]
[Besides, I was like that too.]
[Huh?]
[I also experienced numerous defeats before I created the Ten-Second Invincible Arts. How could I have created the Ten-Second Invincible Arts if I had not known defeat in my youth? Just as the ground becomes harder after the rain, only those who have experienced defeat can move forward.]
[Grandpa!]
[Keep this in mind. There may be failure, but there is no despair.]
“Haaah…!”
It was a dream.
A dream so clear and vivid that it felt like reality…
Dreams reflect the memories of one’s waking life.
Although it was a dream, the words his grandfather said in the dream were words that So-ah had heard countless times.
“You’re awake?! Huh?”
Someone shouted upon seeing the awakened So-ah.
So-ah’s gaze turned towards that direction.
It was Moyong Hwa.
“Junior Sister…”
“How are you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. But where am I?”
“Where do you think? The Moyong Family residence.”
“How…”
“You were unconscious for a whole week.”
So-ah’s eyes widened at those words.
“A whole week…?”
“Yeah. I should let the adults know right away. Wait a moment.”
Moyong Hwa rushed out of the room as soon as she finished speaking.
***
So-ah heard truly shocking news from Abbess Hong-ryeon and Moyong Baek.
That the identity of the beggar old man who had appeared at the right time when he was about to be killed by the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, was none other than the Dragon Head of the Beggars’ Sect, Hong In-geol, who led a hundred thousand disciples.
And that upon seeing the signal flare of the Martial Alliance that Hong In-geol had shot up, the members of the Liaoning branch of the Martial Alliance, Abbess Hong-ryeon, Moyong Baek, and the masters of the Wudang and Qingcheng Sects who were in charge of the Young Heroes Tournament, had all rushed out to help Hong In-geol.
And yet, seven members of the Martial Alliance had been killed, and not only Abbess Hong-ryeon and Moyong Baek, but also the masters of the Wudang and Qingcheng Sects had not escaped injury.
Moreover, Hong In-geol, who had faced No Yeong-myeong one-on-one for a whole shichen, was quite seriously injured.
What surprised So-ah the most was that the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, had offset all that and had leisurely left the battlefield.
“Good heavens… is that really possible?”
So-ah asked Moyong Baek with a disbelieving expression even after hearing it.
“I can’t explain it either. Moreover, the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, did not fight us with just ordinary martial arts.”
“What do you mean by that?”
At So-ah’s repeated question, this time, Abbess Hong-ryeon spoke in a solemn voice.
“No Yeong-myeong used supernatural powers. Of course, all supernatural powers corresponding to Qimen, Heavenly Evasion, Earthly Evasion, and Human Evasion also require the internal energy of a martial family, but magical power is prioritized over that. Originally, the Twin Demon Geezers were not those who possessed such magical power. But it seems they have cultivated all sorts of sinister great arts and grotesque techniques while hiding their tracks for a long time.”
So-ah felt like he had been hit hard on the back of his head.
Of course, when So-ah was studying, he had seen stories about abilities called supernatural powers, such as the Taiping Yōjutsu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but he had dismissed them as mere folklore or myths.
But to hear that such supernatural powers were actually used, and by the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, whom he had faced, he couldn’t help but be astonished.
‘Come to think of it… the exorcism that Gu-yang hyung used is also inexplicable.’
So-ah was reminded once again of how vast and infinite the affairs of the world were.
In the midst of this, something flashed in his mind, and he hurriedly spoke to Abbess Hong-ryeon and Moyong Baek.
“Grandma Hong-ryeon! Uncle! Are your injuries okay?”
At that question, Abbess Hong-ryeon and Moyong Baek smiled.
“Haha, So-ah. This old woman is fine.”
“I sustained internal injuries, but I have been recuperating for the past week, and I was able to recover thanks to the timely visit of the Divine Doctor, Master Heo, to the Beggars’ Sect. Your injuries were serious, but Master Heo said that you are a child with a regenerative ability that is second to none in the world. It seems to be thanks to the fact that you have trained your body day and night to learn the Ten-Second Invincible Arts. It’s truly a relief.”
Only then did So-ah breathe a sigh of relief.
But his heart was still heavy.
“The Beggars’ Sect’s Chief Grandpa… is he okay?”
“I believe he has regained consciousness. Would you like to visit him?”
“Yes.”
***
“Grandpa, thank you. And I’m sorry. Because of me…”
So-ah’s whole body still ached, but he immediately went to the Martial Alliance’s Liaoning branch.
It was to meet the beggar old man who had saved him, the Beggars’ Sect Chief, Hong In-geol.
“Hoho… I’m glad you woke up safely.”
Hong In-geol, as if he were more worried about So-ah than his own well-being, greeted him with a benevolent smile.
“How is your body?”
“I almost died and came back to life. I had a cup of Longjing tea with King Yama. Hahahaha.”
Although it was said as a joke, Hong In-geol’s injuries were actually serious.
If the Divine Doctor, Master Heo, who was said to have the best medical skills in the world, had not visited Liaoning in a timely manner, he would never have been able to stand on his own two feet.
So-ah’s face sank heavily.
At that, Hong In-geol laughed heartily again and spoke to So-ah.
“Your name is So-ah, you said?”
“Yes…”
“With this, I have repaid my debt.”
“Huh?”
“When you ordered the food for me, didn’t I say it? That I would surely repay the debt.”
“Aha…”
“That was the reason.”
“What do you mean by that…”
Hong In-geol’s expression turned serious.
“I was truly afraid of the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong.”
“Chief Grandpa…”
“It’s not just me. To the people of the Orthodox Martial Path, the Twin Demon Geezers are truly a terrifying existence. Moreover, seeing his divine authority with the mysterious supernatural powers, I was afraid and wanted to run away.”
“…”
“But when I thought of your pure and good appearance, I couldn’t do that. Hahaha. The connection between people is truly a strange thing.”
So-ah was also amazed.
He had ordered food for Hong In-geol out of simple altruism, but he had never dreamed that it would come back as a life-saving favor.
[So-ah. A person with a physiognomy like yours is helped by the heavens. I believe you will surely achieve great things.]
For a moment, Gu-yang Seon’s words came to mind.
‘Are there really things like physiognomy and destiny?’
So-ah was still skeptical.
But he couldn’t deny that he was extremely lucky.
“Chief Grandpa… but why did that old geezer, No Yeong-myeong, try to kill me out of the blue?”
“There is nothing certain yet. Why the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, who had disappeared for a long time, reappeared in the martial world. Why he tried to kill a young boy like you is a mystery, but to make a cautious prediction, it might be a matter of revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“That’s right. The Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, and the Left Heavenly Demon Saber, Go Eung. The two who were called the Twin Demon Geezers were defeated by the esteemed God of War in the past. That might be why he tried to kill you. But that is also just a hypothesis. First of all, very few people know about your background, So-ah. I also only heard it from the Moyong family head and Abbess Hong-ryeon, and I didn’t know that you were the disciple of the God of War. But how would No Yeong-myeong, who has been in seclusion for a long time, have known that fact? So, the exact reason is unknown for now.”
So-ah’s mind became complicated.
Why on earth did such a thing happen to him?
Why were things like the appearance of the Ghost Demon Jiangshi and the Twin Demon Geezers happening around him as soon as he entered the Jianghu?
“But don’t worry. This old man is a Grand Elder of the Martial Alliance. I will pour all my strength into investigating it, so you can rest assured.”
“Thank you, Chief Grandpa.”
“Hoho, I really like the title ‘Grandpa’.”
“Oops! Chief, I’m sorry. I’m still not used to the rules of the Jianghu.”
So-ah was startled.
In the case of Grandpa Moyong Cheon and Grandma Hong-ryeon, he had called them that since he was young, so there was no sense of awkwardness. But now he was an official external disciple of the Moyong Family, which meant he had become a member of the martial world.
He could no longer use titles like “Grandpa” or “Grandma” for the great seniors of the martial world.
But Hong In-geol waved his hand in dismissal.
“Hahaha! So-ah. No. I like it when you call me that. If there is one regret in my life, it is that I did not marry and have descendants. But I am so happy that you call me Grandpa.”
“Ah… Chief Grandpa.”
“Take this.”
Hong In-geol handed So-ah a wooden plaque that was on the side of the table.
“What is this?”
“The value of this wooden plaque is the same as the order of the Beggars’ Sect Chief. When you are wandering the Jianghu and someday need the help of the Beggars’ Sect, you can use it conveniently. The Beggars’ Sect has branches all over the Central Plains.”
“Chief Grandpa!”
“I am curious. How far will the connection between you and me go? I hope you will not forget that this old man is by your side in the future.”
Only then did So-ah begin to think that his life might be more special than others.
‘Could Gu-yang hyung’s words… really be true?’
The God of War, Moyong Cheon.
The Heavenly Demon, Wi-ji Un.
The Sword Empress, Abbess Hong-ryeon.
Even the Beggars’ Sect Chief, Hong In-geol.
If one did not have a destiny helped by the heavens, how could one have such great masters of the world as grandfathers and grandmothers?
***
<Urgent Letter>
—To the Martial Alliance General Office.
—To the Martial Alliance Leader.
The Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, one of the Twin Demon Geezers who was thought to be dead, has appeared in Liaoning, the venue for this year’s Young Heroes Tournament.
For some reason, he tried to kill the disciple of the God of War, but fortunately, he was saved by the joint attack of myself, the masters of the Liaoning branch of the Martial Alliance, the Moyong family head, and the Abbess of the Emei Sect. But in the process, members of the Alliance were killed.
It is hard to believe, but we could not kill the Right Heavenly Demon Sword, No Yeong-myeong, even with our combined attack, and he is currently presumed to have escaped the battlefield and is heading south.
What is most noteworthy is that he displayed not only his own martial arts but also all sorts of sinister great arts and mysterious supernatural powers.
It can be presumed that he has secured ancient secret books such as the Heavenly Evasion Book, the Earthly Evasion Book, the Human Evasion Book, and the Taiping Yōjutsu, which are currently difficult to locate. If he uses these supernatural powers and his heaven-shaking demonic arts with ill intentions, a bloody storm will blow through the Jianghu.
The Martial Alliance must investigate this incident with all its might.
Also, the connection between the appearance of the Ghost Demon Jiangshi and the appearance of the Twin Demon Geezers must be thoroughly investigated.
I am currently recovering from my injuries, but I will head to the Martial Alliance General Office as soon as my body recovers.
Grand Elder of the Martial Alliance.
Seal of the Dragon Head of the Beggars’ Sect, Hong In-geol—
The letter, written in one go, flew vigorously through the sky of Liaoning via a carrier pigeon.
(End of Chapter)