Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#019

It was late autumn when the maple leaves were falling.

The wind sweeping across the sea had become quite chilly, but people’s faces showed leisure.

It was the harvest season.

Jiao-nan was bustling with activity as people prepared for the Mid-Autumn Festival, the biggest holiday along with the Spring Festival.

In a place slightly removed from such a village.

At a manor built like a painting on a hill overlooking the sea, they too were having a time to harvest the fruits of their labor.

However, what they had gained was not grain.

In the rear garden of Deungmyeong Manor, Ja-gang-cheon, Cheon-gu, and Pansuk sat facing each other in a triangular formation.

“Huff!”

Pansuk covered his roughening breath with both hands.

“Hyung.”

“I’m sorry, hyung-nim.”

“Is it still hard to endure the incense smell?”

In the hands of Ja-gang-cheon, who sat cross-legged, was an incense burner made of jade. From the incense burner that reacted to his internal energy flowed a thick smell that was so foul it could chase away even nearby mice.

“Yes, hyung-nim. It’s a smell that turns my stomach inside out, so it’s very difficult.”

The fact that Pansuk, who had lived by the seaside, said this meant it was that terrible.

“It’s called Biyeonhyang (Flying Extension Incense). It helps with mental cultivation training, so bear with it.”

It was an item from Gido-yu, the greatest eccentric of the martial arts world who was active fifty years ago.

He had the nickname meaning strange and bizarre demon, and was an unparalleled figure in mental cultivation. Originally, Biyeonhyang was used to chase away wild beasts when he was living in seclusion in deep mountains.

He made it because he was annoyed by wild beasts charging at him during mental cultivation training.

The problem was that to overcome that annoyance, he actually went around catching Inmyeon-jiju (Human-faced Spiders). Whether he found the Inmyeon-jiju is unknown, but he eventually succeeded in making Biyeonhyang.

The three strange works he created were called the Three Bizarre Creations, and Biyeonhyang was the first of them.

“But Cheon-gu hyung-nim is amazing every time I see him. How can he concentrate so well like that?”

“It’s because it’s precious.”

“Precious?”

“The opportunity to learn martial arts and the time to train. If I don’t do my best at this moment, it’s so precious that I can’t sleep.”

“Ah…”

Pansuk nodded greatly.

“You’re right. How precious is this time. My thinking was shallow. We can talk while eating meals.”

“We also need some leisure…”

“Hyung-nim. Please don’t talk to me. I’ll have conversations later.”

“Hyung?”

When even Pansuk closed his eyes and concentrated, Ja-gang-cheon suddenly felt alone.

Still, thinking of their growth, he felt proud first.

Especially Cheon-gu showed frightening concentration when training martial arts.

Cheon-gu, who quit the merchant guild and entered the manor, invested all his spare time in martial arts.

-Don’t overdo it too much.

Even Ja-gang-cheon advised him to take it easy, but Cheon-gu answered like this.

-I’m doing it because it’s fun. This is the first time I’ve spent the time given to me for myself.

For Ja-gang-cheon, it was an answer that made him think a lot.

‘Learn as much as you want. I’ll teach you everything.’

The mental cultivation training of the three continued for about two hours.

When the dawn training ended, Ja-gang-cheon said to the two who were regulating their breathing.

“I have something to give you. Let’s go together.”

The place they arrived at was Ja-gang-cheon’s bedroom.

Though it was a large manor, they all lived together in the central pavilion that shared the main gate and courtyard.

Excluding the office and document storage, there were four rooms, so there was no problem even if they each occupied one.

Ja-gang-cheon used the room of the former merchant guild leader, and here he discovered an interesting place.

Clank!

When he pulled the ring under the bed, stairs leading underground appeared.

“It’s amazing every time I see it. How did you find this place?”

“Air flows in. If you concentrate to the extreme, you can feel even the flow of air.”

“That’s really possible.”

While Pansuk scratched his head, Ja-gang-cheon took out a box from his chest.

“Huh!”

“Why do you get surprised every time, hyung?”

“It’s a night-illuminating pearl! When I make a lot of money, I’ll definitely hang a night-illuminating pearl on my room ceiling.”

“Thieves with knives will come looking for you every day, won’t they?”

“That’s why I’m learning martial arts, to stop them.”

It was a somewhat strange reason, but he didn’t bother to argue.

“Come on. Let’s go down.”

Ja-gang-cheon led the way down underground.

The large secret warehouse, which seemed like four bedrooms put together, was never even mentioned by the former owner.

Whether it was revenge for the 30% discount, when Ja-gang-cheon first entered, there were only a few crumpled papers rolling around.

“Go ahead. Choose whatever you like.”

The secret warehouse that Ja-gang-cheon had newly decorated was splendid.

This was because over 100 martial arts treasures were unpacked and neatly displayed.

There were over thirty boxes gathered on one side, and weapons included swords, sabers, axes, and staffs as basics, plus clubs, iron fans, whips, and gauntlets.

It could truly be called a complete collection of martial world weapons without shame.

“But what are you telling us to choose? You’re not really going to give us these, are you?”

“That’s right.”

“With our current skills, we don’t have the power to protect such things even if we took them.”

As Cheon-gu said, if there was anyone who recognized these weapons, they would try to steal them even by killing.

Hearing those words, Ja-gang-cheon spoke as if disappointed.

“I’m not stupid.”

“That’s right. Hyung-nim is not stupid. You’re smarter than me.”

Though it wasn’t comforting at all, Ja-gang-cheon forced a smile and approached the displayed weapons.

Then he picked up a sword that looked ordinary on the outside.

If there was a characteristic, it was that it had no patterns at all.

That rather seemed like a characteristic of the sword.

It had a sword blade that was sharp to the point of being cold and had a subtle blue color, but the handle was plain without any patterns.

“I don’t know the sword’s name. It’s the sword of Pung-cheong-seol, the Swordsman of the Moonlight, who appeared in the fight against the Evil Sect after being a reclusive master. It’s not known to the martial world and as you can see, its appearance isn’t flashy either.”

It was a sword that first appeared in the process of fighting the Evil Sect. His swordsmanship was so overwhelming that he was invited to the boat going to Gwigokdo, but unfortunately, he fell to Cheonma’s hands.

“It’s absolutely not inferior to other swords here.”

He handed Pung-cheong-seol’s sword to Cheon-gu.

“It’s a sword that has already lost its master. There’s no need to return it to anyone.”

Ja-gang-cheon then revealed one secret of the sword.

“Put your finger in the scabbard and touch the inner surface.”

Cheon-gu followed Ja-gang-cheon’s words. However, he only tilted his head and showed no reaction.

“Concentrate more.”

Following Ja-gang-cheon’s words, when he tried once more, he felt something slightly catching.

“It seems like something is carved?”

“It’s the Moonlight Swordsmanship. It’s inside the scabbard, so you can’t see it with your eyes and can only read it with your finger senses. It’s made so that only masters with extremely sensitive senses can read it.”

They first carved the formula inside and then attached it later to make it.

“It’s not a martial arts manual for nothing.”

“It’s a martial art that will disappear if no one learns it. That person has no successors.”

Cheon-gu stared at the sword in his hand.

“You’re saying this is my weapon?”

“It’ll suit you well.”

At Ja-gang-cheon’s repeated recommendation, Cheon-gu nodded.

“Can I really take this?”

“The reason I decided to give you a sword today is because it’s time for you to train for the next level. Your growth is faster than I expected.”

He had trained with the Gimyeongseok and Biyeonhyang, and at night practiced swordsmanship with the Sammae Sword used by the First Sword of Kunlun. Of course, the biggest factor was Ja-gang-cheon’s advice.

“Alright. Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Only then did Ja-gang-cheon feel at ease.

“Brother Pansuk.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

“You need to work harder too. I have something in mind for you.”

“Really?”

Pansuk asked back, unusually for him. Though he was slow-witted, he knew that the items in this cargo hold were martial arts treasures.

To think he would give him one of them.

“Hyung-nim!”

Pansuk suddenly embraced Ja-gang-cheon.

Ja-gang-cheon, who endured the suffocating feeling like prey caught by a bear, clearly drew the line.

“You’ll have to reach the level I want before I give it to you.”

“Yes! Hyung-nim! I’ll work myself to death!”

“Don’t die though.”

“Ah! I’ll work hard without dying!”

After finishing the conversation, Ja-gang-cheon looked around the interior once more. Then Pansuk, who belatedly thought of a question, asked.

“But what kind of weapon do you use, hyung-nim?”

Come to think of it, even Cheon-gu had never seen Ja-gang-cheon use a weapon.

“I’ve tried everything here. Each has its own charm.”

“Then you can use them all in real combat?”

“Yeah. For fifteen years, this was all I had to play with. It was an uninhabited island with no friends.”

They couldn’t dare say they understood. Because they had never experienced it.

“But there’s one really interesting guy.”

Ja-gang-cheon stood before a weapon tightly wrapped in silk cloth among the splendid treasures.

“My parents told me not to use this. They said it was too dangerous.”

He began to slowly unwrap the silk cloth.

“But I find this guy so interesting.”

Ja-gang-cheon used the word “interesting” rather than “good.” That’s what weapons meant to him.

Thud.

When the silk cloth fell to the floor, Ja-gang-cheon held in his hand a dao with a dark blade that refused light.

“Mukryeomdo. The one who played with me the most on Gwigokdo.”

It was a name that had disappeared three hundred years ago, definitely not a weapon that could be called a child.

Though counted as a historic martial arts treasure, very few had seen it directly.

The Mukryeomdo, passed down only through oral tradition, had a history of earning both the worst and best titles.

Dan Rimyeong, the Evil Artisan, who was one of history’s most notorious villains.

Conversely, Dan Rijin, the Great Immortal, a hero who dominated an era.

The father and son relationship ultimately ended with the son killing the father.

The epic of a hero who had to become a chivalrous warrior his entire life to erase his father’s deeds was still the most favored subject among storytellers.

The weapon that ran through their relationship was none other than Mukryeomdo.

It was one of the treasures the Evil Sect had hidden until the end. Without seeing the treasure list left by the Evil Sect, they wouldn’t have even believed it was Mukryeomdo.

-The fact that this was in the cargo hold means no one could handle it.

-Weapons with many stories are ominous. They don’t suit our son.

The weapon that had passed from villain to hero had now moved from the Evil Sect to Ja-gang-cheon.

“H-hyung-nim.”

Pansuk called Ja-gang-cheon with an anxious voice. Sharp energy waves were swirling around Ja-gang-cheon.

Just by holding it in his hand, Ja-gang-cheon’s eyes turned coldly sharp.

But when Ja-gang-cheon, recognizing this, smiled and adjusted his grip on the sword, the unsettling energy calmed down.

“It’s a sensitive child. It acts up on its own with just a little fighting spirit.”

This was why Mukryeomdo was called a legendary treasure. His parents, who had experienced this directly, said:

-It not only amplifies energy but also has the nature of trying to absorb it. It acts wildly as if it were the master.

-If you can’t control it, it becomes a poisonous weapon. Now I understand why the Evil Artisan was born.

Indeed, just holding it still would drain his energy to the point where his mind became hazy.

“I found that interesting.”

To Ja-gang-cheon, Mukryeomdo was an interesting toy. Naturally, he couldn’t give it up and played with it secretly without his parents knowing.

As those years accumulated, at some point he could naturally control it.

“If I pour out too much energy, I’m in danger too.”

It was like a waterway.

Just as a river cannot contain all the water when heavy rain falls.

“Let’s meet often now. I’ll show you the world too.”

Ja-gang-cheon wrapped Mukryeomdo in cloth again.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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