Chapter 1762. That's Why I'm Here (2)

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Thwack.

A fist that extended like lightning struck against a shoulder, which deflected it gently. A faint look of shock flickered in the eyes of the one who had thrown the punch.

But that wasn't all. The body, carrying the force of the shoulder that had pushed it away, rotated smoothly and drove into the senior taoist's chest.

Thunk!

Just before reaching the chest, the hand extended once more, pushing against the rotating shoulder.

In that instant, a foot moved like a flash and aimed at senior taoist's heart.

"Hmm!"

An unusual groan, mixed with slight admiration, escaped from someone who had spent decades accumulating martial arts knowledge in their body.

Tap! Tap!

Heo Do-jinin placed his foot firmly on Baek Cheon's foot, which was surging upward from below.

[tl note: The former Wudang sect leader usually called Heo Dojin in TL, right? I realized that his name is just Heo Do, jinin refers to a Taoist adept, often someone who has reached a high level of spiritual cultivation or mastery in Taoism. I will just call him Heo Do.]

But in that moment...

Swish!

Baek Cheon's foot moved in a strange way, wrapping around Heo Do's foot and pulling it downward.

Wham!

Baek Cheon once again rammed into Heo Do's chest with his shoulder.

Heo Do-jinin, who had taken a few steps back, looked at the young man before him with a bewildered expression.

"Using a breath technique at that moment..."

Baek Cheon, his face drenched in sweat, met his gaze while panting heavily. Without realizing it, Heo Do-jinin touched his own chest.

'Even though this was a spar without internal energy...'

In the end, he had allowed an attack to his chest. And this wasn't just anyone, but Heo Do-jinin, renowned across the world.

Of course, there were plenty of excuses to be made.

After all, hand-to-hand combat wasn't his specialty, and a spar without internal energy is as different as heaven and earth in terms of urgency. Moreover, he had sustained injuries during his fierce battle with Jang Ilso. It was as if he had lost half of his life as a martial artist.

But Heo Do-jinin knew that none of these reasons mattered. His opponent had lost even more.

In this moment, there was only one thing Heo Do-jinin could say.

".... Impressive."

Baek Cheon steadied his breathing and exhaled deeply.

"It's because your teaching is exceptional."

Heo Do-jinin looked at him without even a trace of a smile.

'What a pity.'

Truly, what a pity.

As the former Wudang Sect Leader and as a martial artist, it was heartbreaking to see such a prodigious talent fade away.

"You, I mean...."

Heo Do-jinin struggled to speak. But before he could finish, Baek Cheon politely cupped his fists.

"Thank you once again."

His thin hands trembled slightly as he brought them together in front of his chest. Seeing this, Heo Do-jinin let out a short sigh.

'Indeed, there's no point in saying it.'

He had intended to ask if Baek Cheon had any thoughts of going to Zhongnan.

But he also knew it would be meaningless to ask. If Baek Cheon were that kind of person, he wouldn't have spent the past few days rolling around in the dirt, struggling to push forward.

"Though it's still rough... you've now mastered the basics of the Using Four Liang to Move a Thousand Jin technique. This means there's nothing more I can teach you."

Of course, it was still too early to say he had fully mastered it. But it's the same with any martial art. Once you've grasped the principles and applications, the rest is up to you to perfect.

"So, what will you do now?"

At Heo Do-jinin's question, Baek Cheon smiled broadly. It was a smile so refreshing and open that anyone watching would feel relieved.

"When someone has finished their business on the mountain, there's only one thing left to do, right? It's time to descend."

"...Hmm."

Heo Do-jinin let out a low hum.

This mountain wasn't inhabited by Heo Do-jinin alone. So what Baek Cheon meant was that he had no intention of rejoining the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Heo Do-jinin, who seemed to have something more to say, hesitated for a moment before finally shaking his head.

The Baek Cheon he had seen was already on his own path as a Taoist. Such a person didn't need clumsy advice or guidance.

"So, that's what you've decided."

"Yes. I've already made up my mind."

"Then wait a moment."

"Pardon?"

Baek Cheon asked in confusion, but Heo Do-jinin, as if he had no intention of explaining, quickly walked into his cabin.

Left alone, Baek Cheon waited awkwardly and somewhat self-consciously for Heo Do-jinin to return. Fortunately, Heo Do-jinin soon reappeared.

"Take this."

"What is this?"

Baek Cheon looked at the item Heo Do-jinin handed him with a puzzled expression. It wasn't that he thought there was nothing to receive, but rather that he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

"Hold out your arm."

Instead of explaining, Heo Do-jinin grabbed Baek Cheon's arm and slid the item onto it.

"This is..."

"It was made for an elder in Wudang who suffered a severe arm injury. Since he was too old to learn to use his left hand, he had no choice but to use this device to continue wielding a sword with his injured arm."

Baek Cheon blinked and looked down at his arm.

The brace, which extended from shoulder to wrist, looked more like armor.

"Try moving it."

Following Heo Do-jinin's instructions, Baek Cheon moved his arm and let out a small gasp of surprise. The arm that had been so heavy and difficult to move was now moving with surprising ease.

"Such a thing..."

"It's a relief that your shoulder wasn't injured. If it had been, there would have been no solution."

Baek Cheon, unable to find the words, quietly looked at Heo Do-jinin.

Even though it was originally made for a Wudang member, the person's condition couldn't have been exactly the same as Baek Cheon's. Yet, the device fit him perfectly.

This meant that during the days when Baek Cheon wasn't training, Heo Do-jinin had been carefully adjusting this device to fit him.

"-jinin..."

"Take it."

"Pardon?"

"Go on."

Baek Cheon's pupils trembled.

What Heo Do-jinin handed him was none other than... a sword.

"Are you refusing to accept a sword from Wudang?"

"It's not that I..."

"Don't worry. This isn't a pine patterned sword. It's just an ordinary sword, without the Wudang emblem."

"..."

"You're no longer able to use the swords of Mount Hua, are you? But with your body in this condition, you need at least one sword to defend yourself."

"But..."

"Take it."

After a moment of hesitation, Baek Cheon bit his lip and reached out.

The feel of the freshly wrapped leather transmitted clearly to his palm. Baek Cheon's eyes quivered slightly. He was holding a sword again.

"Hmm."

Heo Do-jinin attached the sword handle to the loop on the front of the brace.

"How does it feel?" 

Baek Cheon instinctively moved his wrist.

To say it moved as before would be a lie. It was awkward, like a child wielding a stick for the first time. However, the important thing was that he held a sword in his hand.

"It won't be like it was in the past. But with your body, you should be able to apply the 'Using Four Liang to Move a Thousand Jin' technique to the sword as well. It should make it easier to protect yourself. After all, you are a swordsman."

Baek Cheon lowered his head deeply.

Their relationship had started forcefully. Heo Do-jinin had no reason to teach him. Even if Baek Cheon had begged with tears, he could have coldly turned him away, and there would have been no issue.

Yet now, Heo Do-jinin was concerned about Baek Cheon's safety as he prepared to descend the mountain. He even stayed up all night, repairing and refining the items Baek Cheon would use.

"Jinin..."

"Just go. It's not good to delay once you've made up your mind."

Heo Do-jinin turned away, exuding an air of emptiness.

At that moment, something flew toward Baek Cheon.

Thunk.

Baek Cheon instinctively caught the flying object. It was a reflexive movement. He was lucky not to drop it, something he wouldn't have imagined doing just a short time ago.

"That's a gift from Wudang. Don't forget it."

"Jinin…?"

Baek Cheon, who had been staring at the small silk pouch he had caught, looked around for Heo Do-jinin. But he had already entered his humble hut.

Baek Cheon, gazing at the hut, offered a deep bow before turning to leave.

He had no way to repay the favor right now. But someday, he would surely repay it. That is, if his life continued.

"Huuft."

Baek Cheon took a long breath as he looked down the mountain and then set off without hesitation.

A short while later, Heo Do-jinin quietly came outside and watched Baek Cheon's figure disappearing down the mountain. His gaze deepened.

"Even without the goal of regaining glory, or reaching a higher level than before... humans can still strive."

If only he had realized this sooner... perhaps his fate, and the fate of Wudang, could have been different.

Heo Do-jinin took in the vast Wudang Mountain in his sight.

Perhaps there was still something left for him to do.

Moving unnoticed by others, Baek Cheon suddenly stopped and looked back at the mountain he was descending from.

"It's quieter than I expected."

He had braced himself for the difficulty of avoiding detection due to his weak presence, but surprisingly, there were no signs of Heavenly Comrade Alliance's people on Wudang Mountain.

It was fortunate, but it also meant that the search for him had been called off.

...Though he knew it shouldn't be the case, an inexplicable emotion settled in his chest.

Wudang Mountain. He had been through so much here. The past few weeks felt like years.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

He was no longer a disciple of Mount Hua, nor a martial artist who attracts the world's attention. The brilliant future he had once dreamed of had vanished, and those he had believed would always stay by his side had all drifted away.

The person standing here now was a mere shadow, unable to grasp even a single thing he had wished for.

So he had to ask himself.

But the answer couldn't be expressed in words or feelings.

He opened his eyes again and took a step forward.

It wasn't about proving anything. It was just about believing in himself.

Even after losing everything, he was still Baek Cheon.

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Ho Gamyeong's gaze was as cold as ice.

In front of him lay a village, with smoke rising from various spots as people cooked their meals.

Once, he too had lived a life like theirs. He wasn't like those who were born as martial artists and had no qualms about killing people from the beginning.

"What difference is there between this and what I went through in the past?"

The answer was obvious. There was no difference at all. Ho Gamyeong knew this. He had long since become someone who trampled on others out of necessity, not resistance.

He felt a faint pang of guilt. To say he didn't would be a lie.

But the current Ho Gamyeong had discarded all hesitation.

He had come too far to be held back by mere guilt. Though he had spoken confidently to Jang Ilso, he too could no longer be the Ho Gamyeong of the past.

Now, he simply had to focus on the plan.

"It's not a particularly brilliant strategy."

The brilliant strategy would likely be prepared by Jang Ilso.

The task Ho Gamyeong was about to undertake was merely to add fuel to the fire so that Jang Ilso's future bloodshed could ignite into a greater blaze.

But even that insignificant kindling was necessary to stoke the flames.

"During the last attack by Blood Palace, they were clearly shaken more than before."

Of course, Heavenly Comrade Alliance's side didn't suffer great losses, but Ho Gamyeong had paid close attention to their response rather than the scale of damage.

Thus, he was certain. The current Heavenly Comrade Alliance was quite different from when they had been fighting Evil Tyrant Alliance all along.

"If that's the case, it must be now."

A tactician's role is to act before hesitation turns into a missed opportunity.

"Strategist." [tl : gunsa.]

Ho Gamyeong nodded at the voice that came from beside him.

"Kill them all. Leave not a single one."

A murderous aura quickly rose from those lined up behind him. Their eyes gleamed with fierce intent.

"Make it as spectacular as possible. So that everyone in Hubei will know."

"As you command!"

"Go!"

The bloodthirsty wolves began to charge forward.

A grim light shone in Ho Gamyeong's eyes as he watched them.

For a moment, memories of his past life, when he lived an ordinary life, flashed through his mind, but he soon erased that shadow without regret.