The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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17
Woo Geom-san’s Struggle for Hegemony
Bang!
As the vessel docked at the wharf, the martial artists of the Heongnimdae unloaded the horses and carriages.
The carriages were laden with a thousand finely crafted weapons and an immense fortune in Gold Ingots.
It was enough weaponry to fully arm an entire Great Sect, and plenty of funds to operate it wealthily for several years.
With just a single battle, the Heongnimdae had gained a massive pair of wings.
After confirming that his men had completely unloaded the horses and carriages, Gwak Pung looked toward Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang.
He first bid farewell to Woo Geom-san.
“Little Brother. Make sure to acknowledge me if we meet again in the future. I’ll gladly buy you a drink.”
“I will keep those words in mind.”
At Woo Geom-san’s cold reply, Gwak Pung chuckled softly and shifted his gaze to Baek Ho-yang.
“Thank you for your consideration, Senior!”
“I showed no consideration. After all, you held all the just cause from the beginning.”
The one who had betrayed first was the Vice Chief of Eunha Merchant Group.
Though it was an incident born from a power struggle within the Eunha Merchant Group, Baek Ho-yang had no way of knowing the internal affairs.
Whatever the reason, the Vice Chief of Eunha Merchant Group had betrayed them first and ambushed the Heongnimdae, so they had no right to complain even if their wealth was seized.
However, what still weighed on his mind was the bloodthirsty martial arts Gwak Pung had displayed. The killing intent was so thick that it was hard to believe it was the martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect, but it was not his place to question it either.
Even if the Chief of the Eunha Merchant Group raised an objection in the future, it would strictly be a matter between them and the Heongnimdae, not something for Baek Ho-yang to get involved in.
This was why a just cause mattered so much in the affairs of the Jianghu.
Gwak Pung knew how to utilize a just cause.
He clasped his hands together, bowing to Baek Ho-yang as he said goodbye.
“Then I shall look forward to meeting you again next time. May you have a peaceful journey…”
“Farewell.”
At Baek Ho-yang’s indifferent response, Gwak Pung smiled faintly and returned to the Heongnimdae.
Gwak Pung thus departed from the wharf along with the Heongnimdae.
“Sigh!”
Ha Baek-jin, who had watched them leave until the very end, let out a deep sigh.
Although they belonged to different sects, the comrades who had shared life and death on the battlefield were now walking a different path.
He could understand their feelings, but he did not wish to align himself with them.
Because doing so would go against his own convictions.
Yet, the glaring eyes of the Heongnimdae martial artists who had looked at him as if he were a traitor could not be forgotten. It made him feel all the more bitter.
Baek Ho-yang looked at Ha Baek-jin with a pitiful expression.
“Hey there! Are you alright?”
“I am fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”
“Cheer up.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Since when can emotions ever be hidden just because you try to conceal them?”
“I asked a foolish question. I am sorry. My mind is just a bit complicated.”
“I suppose it would be.”
“Whew! What do you plan to do, Senior?”
“We intend to stay on the boat a little longer. What about you?”
“I plan to disembark at the next wharf as originally planned and head to my hometown.”
He spoke those words, but he still stared in the direction Gwak Pung and the Heongnimdae had vanished with lingering regret in his eyes.
This was because the thought that perhaps he should stop them right now filled his head.
He knew better than anyone else just how grand Gwak Pung’s ambition was.
Now that Gwak Pung had finally gained his wings, even he could not tell how high he would soar.
His only hope was that Gwak Pung would walk the path of a hero rather than becoming a bane to the Jianghu.
‘Still, since he is a secular disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, an orthodox sect, surely he won’t walk an unorthodox path.’
Ha Baek-jin forced himself to think positively.
Baek Ho-yang did not strike up a conversation with him any further.
Because he knew that when one’s mind is complicated, it is better to give them time to sort it out on their own.
Baek Ho-yang looked over at Woo Geom-san.
Even then, Woo Geom-san was still staring at the place where Gwak Pung and the others had disappeared.
Baek Ho-yang spoke up gently.
“Geom-san!”
“Ah! Yes!”
“Your eyeballs are going to pop out if you keep staring like that.”
“I am sorry.”
“Does he concern you that much?”
“Yes! Paradoxically, he keeps weighing on my mind.”
“Then you will see him again in the future.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! Now that a thread of fate has been tied, you will surely meet again someday. So do not let it trouble you.”
“Pardon?”
“No matter what form the opponent takes or how he approaches you, as long as you remain steadfast, you will never be shaken or threatened. Therefore, do not mind him, and focus entirely on yourself. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
Woo Geom-san answered vigorously.
“You rascal!”
Baek Ho-yang smiled and patted Woo Geom-san on the shoulder.
Though Woo Geom-san’s body was not whole due to his severe injuries, he was still young.
His potential for growth was boundless.
What Baek Ho-yang saw was not Woo Geom-san’s current state, but his future possibilities.
***
Ha Baek-jin disembarked at the next wharf.
“I shall go ahead, Little Brother! Once you venture into the Jianghu, you must absolutely visit the place I told you about.”
“Yes! Live happily with your fiancée.”
“Haha! Do not worry about that. Please drop by as well if you get the chance, Senior.”
“If I am still alive…”
“Haha! I think you will live much longer than me.”
“Thank you for the kind words. Farewell.”
“Yes! Then may you remain safe until we meet again…”
After clasping his hands in farewell, Ha Baek-jin left the wharf.
Woo Geom-san watched Ha Baek-jin’s departing back with a wistful expression.
Although it was an encounter that lasted barely a single day, Ha Baek-jin had left that strong of an impression on him.
He felt as though he wouldn’t be able to forget Ha Baek-jin for a long time.
Baek Ho-yang said to Woo Geom-san.
“Now that everyone has left, focus on yourself.”
“Ah, yes!”
Woo Geom-san understood the meaning behind his words at once.
He pulled out the needle and thread, then sat down on the deck.
It was now time to immerse himself in rehabilitation.
Leaving behind Woo Geom-san, who was entirely focused on the task of threading the eye of the needle, Baek Ho-yang approached the Captain.
The Captain grew tense upon seeing Baek Ho-yang.
This was because he had witnessed both the Heongnimdae and Ha Baek-jin treating Baek Ho-yang with the utmost respect.
The Jianghu was a place where strength was everything.
No matter how old someone was, they would not receive proper respect if they lacked power.
Seeing how carefully Gwak Pung and Ha Baek-jin had treated him, the Captain figured that the old man must be no ordinary expert.
Bowing his waist, he spoke.
“Elder!”
“I have one thing to ask you.”
“Please speak.”
“What will you do with those corpses?”
The place Baek Ho-yang looked toward was the stern of the Cloud River-Crossing Vessel.
The corpses of the martial artists from the Eunha Merchant Group and the Blue Wolf Dan were piled at the stern.
Although they had been covered with a large cloth, the bodies were already rotting and emitting a terrible stench.
“We plan to hand the corpses over to the branch office at the next wharf. Once a report reaches the main headquarters, they will negotiate with the Eunha Merchant Group on their own.”
“Are you going to be alright?”
“About what, sir?”
“Such a disaster occurred on the ship you operate, so will the Eunha Merchant Group really let it slide?”
“Ah! Is that what you meant? It is perfectly fine.”
“Is it?”
“It is not as if we were responsible for the transport; we simply took people and cargo aboard our ship, didn’t we? It is tragic that people died, but that is a matter for the Eunha Merchant Group to resolve.”
“Even so, what will you do if they try to intimidate you?”
“I do not know if you are aware, but our ship belongs to the Hongjo Bang. While the Eunha Merchant Group is formidable, our Hongjo Bang isn’t that weak either. They cannot hold us responsible while ignoring the Hongjo Bang. On the contrary, they should compensate us. After all, they started a blade fight on a perfectly normal operating vessel.”
“Is that so? That is a relief.”
“Thank you for your concern, Elder!”
“Do not mention it! I was just an old man worrying over nothing. That will do then.”
Baek Ho-yang walked back to where Woo Geom-san was.
As the Captain watched Baek Ho-yang’s departing back, a sense of genuine respect naturally welled up in his eyes.
There were many aged martial artists in the Jianghu, but there were not many who truly commanded respect.
The old martial artists the Captain had met so far did nothing but stubbornly stand on their pride, never caring in the slightest about the circumstances of ordinary people like him.
Baek Ho-yang was the first person to show such worry for him.
In order to remember them for a long time, the Captain engraved the images of Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san into his eyes.
***
“I succeeded.”
A light of pure joy was reflected on Woo Geom-san’s face as he looked at the needle held in his hand.
A thin thread was pierced through the tiny eye of the needle.
After hundreds of attempts, he had succeeded once more.
Though it was merely his second success, Woo Geom-san’s mood soared as if it could pierce the sky.
To others it might be just two successes, but to him, it was a grand total of two successes.
Since he had succeeded twice, succeeding a third or fourth time would not be difficult.
Above all, he could feel the sensations in his fingertips gradually becoming sharper.
At this rate, if he practiced consistently, it was certain that he would recover his old sense of touch someday.
Baek Ho-yang looked at Woo Geom-san with a proud expression.
“Good work.”
“Grandfather.”
“You succeeded much faster than I expected. You must continue to exert yourself like this in the future.”
“Yes!”
“Now let us pack up and stand. The next wharf is right before our eyes.”
“Has it already been that long?”
He had been so engrossed in the eye of the needle that he hadn’t realized how much time had flown by.
He felt that time truly passed quickly.
Woo Geom-san tucked the needle and thread into his chest pocket and stood up from his spot.
A moment later, the vessel docked at the wharf.
As soon as the ship touched the dock, passengers poured out in droves.
It seemed that this was where the largest number of people disembarked.
And for good reason, as the largest city among the places they had passed while riding the Cloud River-Crossing Vessel was located here. Consequently, the Hongjo Bang also maintained a branch office specifically here to manage it.
Naturally, a massive amount of people and cargo had no choice but to move back and forth.
Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san also blended into the crowd and got off the ship.
Although many people were heading toward the city, Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san headed in the opposite direction.
Since they had completed all preparations to camp outside before boarding the vessel, there was no reason for them to drop by the city.
The two chose cultivation training over a comfortable bed.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
Woo Geom-san began to breathe properly and walk properly, exactly as Baek Ho-yang had taught him.
Now, Baek Ho-yang no longer walked ahead of Woo Geom-san like he used to.
He walked alongside Woo Geom-san, matching his pace.
This path, which would have been tedious alone, was not arduous at all.
Baek Ho-yang quietly hummed a poetic verse that came to his mind.
The wind is still blue, yet time brings old age.
The pine tree at the edge of the cliff does not speak of its height.
One step treads upon the void.
Two steps bind the mind securely.
I walk this pathless path together with you.
Where the sword cannot reach, there I shall establish my will.
Only then shall the sword truly belong to you.

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