The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 52

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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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52
Woo Geom-san’s Rivalry
Even after saving Hongbaek, Woo Geom-san’s daily routine remained unchanged.
He circulated the Choyeon Simgyeol beneath the Withered Tree and went to Heokryongso to practice the Choyen Sword Technique and his other martial arts.
Following that, with farming and the ongoing work of breaking ground for the Plank Road, Woo Geom-san’s daily schedule revolved in a truly packed manner.
Hongbaek was always right by Woo Geom-san’s side.
Hongbaek had now become Woo Geom-san’s irreplaceable friend.
Perhaps the creature even considered Woo Geom-san to be its mother.
Whatever the reason, Hongbaek existed within every single moment of Woo Geom-san’s time.
As they grew accustomed to one another like that, Hongbaek and Woo Geom-san became inseparable existences.
Hongbaek was also met with a grand welcome from the children.
Some children secretly stole meat from their homes to feed Hongbaek, while others beautifully adorned Hongbaek with cherished accessories they had saved.
Fortunately, Hongbaek did not dislike that kind of attention from the children.
Rather, enjoying it, the bird willingly entrusted its body to the hands of the children.
Baek Ho-yang also cherished Hongbaek.
To ensure a quick recovery, he had even broken off small pieces of the precious Yeongbo Vitality Pill to feed the bird every single day.
Thanks to that, Hongbaek became noticeably healthier and grew larger in size.
“Let’s see here.”
Woo Geom-san touched Hongbaek’s wing.
It was the wing that had been bound in a Bandage due to a broken bone.
Even though Woo Geom-san touched the fractured area, Hongbaek did not let out a single cry.
“It healed well.”
Woo Geom-san undid the Bandage and Splint that had kept Hongbaek’s wing immobilized.
Once the wing was free, Hongbaek tilted its head as if the sensation felt awkward.
Woo Geom-san stroked Hongbaek’s head and spoke.
“From now on, let’s practice flying little by little.”
While the wing was healing, all the soft down fell out, and sleek, glossy feathers grew in.
If new feathers kept coming in at this rate, the bird would be able to fly through the sky before long.
Woo Geom-san pulled out a Yeongbo Vitality Pill from his robes and fed it to Hongbaek.
The smell of medicine could have been repulsive, but Hongbaek swallowed it down greedily.
Perhaps because of the steady consumption of the Yeongbo Vitality Pill, Hongbaek’s size was twice that of other hawk chicks.
If judged purely by size alone, it was nearly on par with an adult hawk.
Woo Geom-san stroked Hongbaek’s beak and muttered.
“Well, bigger is better than smaller.”
He left the house together with Hongbaek.
Sitting beneath the Withered Tree to circulate the Choyeon Simgyeol just like always, he then headed toward Heokryongso.
A dense fog clung to Heokryongso, a place unvisited by people, giving off a thoroughly mysterious atmosphere.
Woo Geom-san set Hongbaek down on a nearby rock and began practicing his martial arts.
Deploying the Flowing Void Steps, he walked across the water’s surface as if it were flat ground while unleashing the forms of the Choyen Sword Technique one by one.
Swish, swish, swish!
The sword cut through the air without rest, sending sharp piercing sounds echoing out continuously.
At times it drew gentle circles, and at other times it crossed through the empty air in the shortest straight line possible.
Woo Geom-san’s movements were beautiful, almost as if he were performing a sword dance.
Even Baek Ho-yang had stated that, judging purely by form alone, there was nothing more left to teach him.
Whoosh!
Every time Woo Geom-san moved, the fog clinging to Heokryongso writhed like a living creature.
It was as if the fog was responding on its own to his breathing and his movements.
Sometimes it wrapped around Woo Geom-san’s body like a snake, and other times it moved along the trajectory of the sword.
The sight of Woo Geom-san performing his sword dance while enveloped in fog like that appeared beautiful yet mystical.
Hongbaek, the sole spectator, stared intently at Woo Geom-san’s movements as if conducting an observation.
When the martial training finally came to an end, Woo Geom-san’s body plunged straight into Heokryongso with a splash.
Woo Geom-san swam around inside Heokryongso, washing away the sweat he had shed.
After a long while, Woo Geom-san emerged from Heokryongso.
As he operated the Choyeon Simgyeol, the moisture clinging to his body and clothes flew away, drying him off neatly.
Screeech!
The moment Woo Geom-san came out of the water, Hongbaek threw a festive fuss.
The bird cried out in delight while flapping both wings.
The movement of the broken wing was still unnatural, but at this rate, it seemed flight would be possible in the near future.
Woo Geom-san placed Hongbaek onto his shoulder and said.
“We’ve been together this whole time. Why are you making such a fuss?”
Screeech!
When Hongbaek let out a sharp cry as if offering a protest, Woo Geom-san stroked its beak. With that, Hongbaek’s crying subsided.
Hongbaek was just like a baby, so one had to give the bird constant attention.
Woo Geom-san descended the mountain with Hongbaek.
The paddy fields surrounding the Village came into view.
Before anyone realized it, the fields were being dyed in a subtle golden hue.
The time for harvest was already drawing near.
Passing just a month or two like this would allow them to harvest the well-ripened rice.
Before harvesting the rice, there was something else that needed to be harvested first.
It was none other than tea, the Village’s greatest source of income.
Woo Geom-san headed toward the Tea Plantation with Hongbaek.
At the Tea Plantation, the father-and-son duo of Baek Do-gyeong and Baek Wol-sang were carefully examining the tea leaves.
“We should be fine to harvest around now, right?”
“Yes! It seems so. If we wait any longer, they’ll grow tough and the fragrance will weaken.”
Tea harvested in autumn is called Qiucha.
Qiucha is characterized by a strong fragrance but a light flavor.
Instead, if the harvest timing is missed, the tea leaves grow too large and the unique flavor becomes diluted.
Because of that, harvesting at the right time was crucial.
In the eyes of Baek Do-gyeong and his son, right now was the absolute best time to harvest the tea.
“We must begin tomorrow.”
“Yes! I’ll inform the villagers as well.”
The tea harvest was an important matter directly linked to the survival of the villagers.
With the exception of a few elderly folk, every single person capable of moving had to be mobilized without exception.
Hearing the conversation between the two from nearby, Woo Geom-san spoke up.
“With a fragrance this good, it ought to fetch as much as Mingqian.”
“Ah, Geom-san is here.”
“When did you arrive?”
The father and son welcomed Woo Geom-san warmly.
“Just a moment ago.”
“Does it look good to you as well?”
“Yes! We’ll have to brew it to know the details, but looking at the fragrance alone, it’s definitely better than the ones picked before Qingming.”
“Then that settles it.”
Baek Do-gyeong nodded his head.
The one person in this Village more sensitive to the taste of tea than anyone else was Woo Geom-san.
For that reason, Baek Do-gyeong placed great trust in Woo Geom-san’s words.
Baek Do-gyeong spoke.
“I would like you to accompany us this time when we sell the tea as well.”
“Again?”
“After all, the bandit issue hasn’t been resolved, and until our transactions with the Man-sang Alliance stabilize, it seems better for you to accompany us. Of course, if it burdens you, you don’t have to go out of your way.”
“It’s not a burden at all, so please don’t worry. I’ll go with you.”
“We end up indebted to you every single time. Thank you!”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Woo Geom-san shook his head.
Going to Guangu County would reduce his time for practicing martial arts by that much, but he had his own alternative.
Woo Geom-san was realizing that one didn’t necessarily have to learn proper martial arts only in the mountains.
The Dao is not solely in the mountains; the Dao is found among humanity.
Since enlightenment could be attained just as easily below the mountains, Woo Geom-san did not hesitate to descend Cheonbaeksan.
Above all, the bandit issue had not yet been resolved.
When Woo Geom-san accompanied them this past spring, they hadn’t seen so much as a shadow of a bandit.
Whether the bandits had moved elsewhere or simply missed paths with Woo Geom-san’s group was unknown, but either way, since no definitive conclusion had been reached, it seemed best to remain prepared for the time being.
Woo Geom-san walked down from the Tea Plantation together with Baek Do-gyeong and his son.
Baek Wol-sang looked at Hongbaek sitting on Woo Geom-san’s shoulder with an amazed expression.
“That fellow seems to find your shoulder comfortable. He looks incredibly at ease.”
“The problem is that he refuses to leave my side. He seems to have an obsession.”
“Birds tend to be like that to some extent.”
“What do you mean?”
“Birds recognize the very first living creature they see upon hatching from their egg as their mother.”
“But Hongbaek met me long after he was hatched.”
“Didn’t you save him when he was about to be eaten by a snake? He was abandoned by his mother, too. Could that be the reason he’s more obsessed with you?”
“It’ll be troublesome if he keeps this up.”
As Woo Geom-san scratched his cheek, Baek Wol-sang laughed.
“He won’t keep it up forever. Still, for the time being, he won’t want to be away from you for even a single moment.”
“Well, if it’s only that much…”
“In any case, raise him well. It looks like he’ll grow up to be magnificent.”
Although the bird couldn’t even fly yet, its sheer majesty was already not inferior to full-grown hawks. It was unimaginable how magnificent it would become once it reached adulthood.
Woo Geom-san stroked Hongbaek’s beak and said.
“Yes! I’ll raise him well.”
“We are heading to the Village, what about you?”
“I’m planning to go to the place where they’re constructing the Plank Road.”
“You really go there without skipping a single day. You might make yourself sick from exhaustion, so take it easy.”
“I will.”
Woo Geom-san replied with a smile.
Parting ways with them at the fork, Woo Geom-san headed toward the Plank Road.
At the Plank Road, the young men of the Village were in the middle of engrossing themselves in the labor.
Woo Geom-san greeted them warmly as well and immediately joined the work.
Hongbaek silently watched Woo Geom-san work from a spot slightly removed from the construction site.
Woo Geom-san’s day passed by just like that.
It was a daily routine repeated identically every day, but even within it, Woo Geom-san found special meaning and enlightenment.
***
“You’ve returned?”
When he returned home, Baek Ho-yang, who was sitting on the wooden bench reading a book, welcomed him warmly.
“What about the children?”
“Didn’t you hear they’re harvesting tea tomorrow? So their parents took them home.”
“Ah!”
Woo Geom-san nodded his head.
The tea harvest begins from the early hours of dawn.
Since the children were to be mobilized as well, they had to be put to bed early.
It made sense that the parents had taken the children.
Woo Geom-san sat down beside Baek Ho-yang and asked.
“How are you feeling?”
“Good!”
“Really?”
“With books that please the eyes and children who please the heart right here together, how could I not feel good? It couldn’t be better.”
“That’s a relief.”
Woo Geom-san flashed a smile.
This was because Baek Ho-yang’s peace of mind brought stability to Woo Geom-san’s heart as well.
Teaching characters to the children and passing down martial arts to the twin siblings gave Baek Ho-yang a small, simple pleasure.
At first, it was a bit difficult because it was noisy, but once he got used to it, the voices of the children sounded like the music of instruments.
Now, it felt rather empty when the children weren’t around.
“Are the children keeping up well?”
“Some fellows follow along well, while others follow along slowly. Still, they are all working hard.”
Because the speed of learning literacy differed for each child, Baek Ho-yang also had to pay a lot of attention.
This was to prevent any child who learned characters late from feeling isolated.
As he gave that kind of care to every single child, a deep affection had now formed.
“What about Nam Mu-rin and Nam I-yeon?”
“Those two are also learning diligently. There is a joy in teaching them.”
“Is that so? By any chance, don’t those kids need the Iron Ball? If they want it, I can hand it over.”
“Hey, you rascal!”
“Haha!”
Woo Geom-san burst into laughter.
The Iron Ball was an object that Baek Ho-yang had specially ordered to rehabilitate Woo Geom-san’s hand.
To Woo Geom-san, it was a highly meaningful item, but it remained in his memory as a tool of equally harsh training.
Passing the Iron Ball down to the children meant subjecting them to a training regimen just as brutal as his own.
Baek Ho-yang set his book down on the wooden bench and spoke.
“Those children aren’t going to succeed the Quanzhen Sect, nor do they harbor ambitions of becoming heroes Under Heaven. If I made them train like you, they would run away without enduring a single day. It’s enough if they can protect their own bodies and the Village.”
“Tsk! Isn’t that unfair?”
“Stop talking nonsense. Are you descending the mountain this time as well?”
At Baek Ho-yang’s question, Woo Geom-san nodded his head.
“Yes! After all, to deal with Master Seo, I need to be there. I’m worried about the bandits too…”
“That works out well. When you go to Guangu County, buy a generous amount of paper. Teaching the children has nearly depleted the stock I kept stored away.”
“Understood. If I can find books as well, I’ll buy more.”
“I would be even more grateful then.”
“Fufu! If you’re grateful, would you care to join me for a drink?”
“This rascal is trying to put himself on equal footing with his grandfather. Fine, go prepare a light table.”
“Yes sir!”
Woo Geom-san left Hongbaek behind on the wooden bench and dashed to the kitchen.
A moment later, he returned to the bench carrying a light liquor table.
Beneath the soft moonlight, the conversation between the two men stretched on for a long time. And the young hawk listened intently to their dialogue.

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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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