The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 63

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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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63
Woo Geom-san Contends for Supremacy
In Yunjung Village, the flow of time is barely felt.
Because it is completely isolated from the outside world, there are almost no changes in the village.
Whether ten years ago or now, Yunjung Village has not changed much.
If there were any differences, it would be that the tea plantation reclaimed at the foot of the mountain has grown slightly larger and the courtyard in front of Baek Ho-yang’s house has become more bustling.
A large wooden bench that had never been there before was placed in the courtyard of Baek Ho-yang’s house. An awning was even installed over the bench to block the sunlight.
A dozen small writing desks were lined up on the large bench, and small children were sitting in front of each desk, reading books.
An old man with a graying beard watched the children reading their books with sparkling eyes, a gratified smile on his face.
His wrinkled face was gaunt, and even his hair was brittle, making it easy to guess how many long years the old man had lived.
The old man watching the children read their books was none other than Baek Ho-yang.
Baek Ho-yang approached one of the children.
It was a boy who had been particularly unable to focus on his studies for a while now.
“Won-ung!”
“Yes! Great-grandfather.”
The boy barely answered, pouting his lips.
Baek Ho-yang knew all too well what that look meant.
“You’re thinking about something else again because you don’t want to study.”
“I’m sorry. But reading books is no fun.”
The boy named Won-ung answered honestly.
Baek Ho-yang asked with a smile.
“Then, what is fun?”
“Martial arts. It’s most fun when I practice martial arts.”
Won-ung’s expression changed instantly.
He looked truly excited as he mimicked throwing punches and kicks through the air.
Baek Ho-yang nodded.
“Our Won-ung does have talent for martial arts.”
“Right? Great-grandfather. So can’t I stop learning letters and have you teach me martial arts instead?”
“Won-ung!”
“Yes! Great-grandfather.”
“What does this old man always say?”
“It is… most dangerous for someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong to possess power.”
“And?”
“Therefore, one must fill their mind before practicing martial arts, and must be able to distinguish what is right and wrong.”
“Then, what should our Won-ung do?”
“I have to study… a lot.”
Won-ung answered with a crestfallen face.
Baek Ho-yang stroked Won-ung’s head and said.
“Won-ung! This old man understands how you feel too. But I do not want you to practice only martial arts with an empty mind. Even if it is hard, let us complete at least the minimum amount of study and then devote ourselves to martial arts. You can do that for me, right?”
“Yes!”
“Right! Good boy, our Won-ung. Then let us read the book again.”
“Understood. The gentleman seeks harmony but not conformity; the petty man seeks conformity but not harmony.”
Won-ung read a passage from the book in a clear, resonant voice.
The gentleman harmonizes but does not assimilate, while the petty man assimilates but does not harmonize.
It was a passage from the Analects.
During the Late Spring and Autumn Period when Confucius, the author of the Analects, lived, propriety collapsed, and factions were divided into fierce confrontations.
On the surface, they were on the same side, but no trust existed within. Therefore, it meant they should establish a common standard of righteousness and propriety, while recognizing and adjusting to differences.
This was also what Baek Ho-yang pursued.
His ultimate goal was to ensure the children learned both martial arts and literature evenly so they could use their strength for the right things.
Thus, he personally transcribed the Analects, distributed them to the children, and made them read it regularly.
Thanks to this, the children’s personalities became brighter, and their manners became exceedingly polite.
It was then.
“Grandfather.”
A woman in her early twenties approached, carrying a teacup on a tray.
Baek Ho-yang brightened up.
“It’s you, I-yeon.”
“You must be thirsty, so please drink some tea and rest.”
“Then you take over the rest of the lesson.”
“Yes!”
The woman replied with a smile.
Baek Ho-yang took the teacup from the woman and went to sit on a chair in a corner of the courtyard.
The chair, made to fit his frame, was very comfortable.
Baek Ho-yang sipped his tea and watched the woman who was teaching the literacy lesson in his stead.
The woman’s name was Nam I-yeon. She was one of the twin siblings who had first learned letters and martial arts from Baek Ho-yang.
The ten years of time had transformed Nam I-yeon into a mature woman.
Although they possessed equally outstanding talent, Nam Mu-rin found interest in martial arts, while Nam I-yeon found learning letters more enjoyable.
Nam Mu-rin focused more on martial arts, whereas Nam I-yeon practically lived in Baek Ho-yang’s study all day long.
Thanks to that, despite being in her early twenties, she came to possess a level of scholarship rivaling Baek Ho-yang’s.
Whenever Baek Ho-yang lacked the energy, she would step up to teach the children in his place.
Baek Ho-yang was not a particularly strict teacher to the children, but Nam I-yeon was different.
Whenever she taught letters, the children braced themselves and focused intently.
Even Won-ung, who had been throwing a tantrum to Baek Ho-yang just moments ago, sat with his back straight and focused on the Analects.
Baek Ho-yang loved all these sights.
Before he knew it, he was well past his mid-nineties.
His energy had dropped significantly, and he was not like before.
No matter how strong one’s martial arts were, the flow of time could not be defied.
There was not a single place on his body that did not ache, and in particular, the wound he received from the Cheonmyeong Association Chief still inflicted terrible pain upon him even now.
Yet, the reason he could endure was because of the joy of teaching the children.
After Baek Ho-yang returned, whenever children were born and began to toddle in Yunjung Village, they were unconditionally brought to him to learn letters and martial arts.
Since he was teaching dozens of children, Baek Ho-yang’s days passed in a blur.
At least recently, Nam I-yeon had relieved his burden, allowing him to find some leisure.
In his spare time, Baek Ho-yang created a martial art for the children.
It was a martial art that was easier to learn than the Suyuchilseongong he had passed down to Nam Mu-rin and Nam I-yeon, and it was also good for health. Naturally, once mastered to a certain degree, it was perfectly adequate for protecting and defending oneself.
The children who received Baek Ho-yang’s teachings from a young age grew up healthy without catching so much as a common cold.
The children frequented the courtyard of Baek Ho-yang’s house as if it were their own home, and even went into the kitchen to make and eat food.
The chattering voices of the children brought great joy to Baek Ho-yang.
‘It seems the day for me to leave is not far off either. For me to become this sentimental.’
Baek Ho-yang closed his eyes gently.
No matter how high and profound the martial arts one mastered, the lifespan decreed by heaven could not be defied.
Baek Ho-yang thought he had lived long enough.
Because even in the Jianghu, it was rare for anyone to live soundly until past the age of ninety.
Even if one performed the Jinpen Xishou, washing one’s hands in a golden basin and declaring retirement, it was the nature of the Jianghu that one could not die a natural death.
On the other hand, he had lived a long life, raising proper disciples and numerous young sprouts.
This was a thoroughly successful life.
Just then, Nam I-yeon approached him, her skirt rustling.
“Grandfather! What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“What do you mean, thinking? I was just a little tired and had my eyes closed.”
“Pfft! I know that’s not true.”
Nam I-yeon gave him a gentle, playful glare.
“How do you know everything?”
“Whenever you have a lot on your mind, you close your eyes.”
“How did you figure that out too?”
“How many years have I spent with you, Grandfather?”
Excluding Woo Geom-san, the person who had spent the most time with Baek Ho-yang was none other than Nam I-yeon.
Naturally, she knew Baek Ho-yang best.
“I can’t hide anything from our I-yeon’s eyes. Where are the children?”
“I sent them home since their studies are over.”
“Even so, they’ll be back again after a short while.”
“Yes! They have to learn martial arts too.”
“Why don’t you teach them martial arts too?”
“I have no talent for teaching martial arts. And I have to look after my own child too.”
“I suppose so!”
Baek Ho-yang nodded.
Nam I-yeon had married a village man the year before last and given birth to a child last year.
She was seven years old when he first saw her, so it was hard to believe she had already grown up and even had a son.
“To think the girl who used to follow Geom-san around because she liked him has married another man and even has a child.”
“I was young back then.”
Nam I-yeon pouted with a sullen expression.
There was a time when she used to follow Woo Geom-san around because she liked him. But Woo Geom-san always treated her like a real younger sister.
He did not push her away, but he did not let her any closer either.
After spending a few years like that, her romantic feelings toward Woo Geom-san naturally diluted, and eventually, she married a man her age who pursued her because he liked her, and she even had a child.
“Where is brother Geom-san?”
“He went up to Houyi Peak at dawn.”
“Again? Does he have a jar of honey hidden up there or something?”
“Tell me about it. He goes up every chance he gets, so even I don’t see his face easily.”
“No, is he trying to become an immortal or something? I just don’t understand.”
Nam I-yeon shook her head as if she were fed up.
This was precisely why she had given up her feelings for Woo Geom-san.
She did not have the confidence to handle a persistence that was on a completely different dimension from her own.
She liked her current, ordinary life. But she felt afraid, as if her current peaceful daily routine would be shattered if she stayed with Woo Geom-san.
Woo Geom-san was too grand a person for a coward like her to handle.
It was then.
Screeech!
A sharp bird cry echoed from the sky.
A smile appeared on Baek Ho-yang’s lips.
“It seems he can’t bear to let others talk behind his back.”
“Seriously.”
A hawk was circling the sky.
Even though it was at a distantly high place, the size of the hawk’s wings was immense, enough to clearly enter one’s field of vision.
It seemed at least three or four times larger than a regular hawk.
After circling the sky for a while, the hawk plummeted toward the ground as if it had discovered prey.
Whoosh!
The destination of the hawk, which folded its wings and descended at a terrifying speed, was none other than Baek Ho-yang’s house.
Flap!
The hawk spread its wings wide right above Baek Ho-yang’s head, made a sudden stop, and landed lightly on the armrest of the chair he was sitting on.
The large hawk sitting on the armrest and nuzzling its head against Baek Ho-yang’s face was Hongbaek.
Over the course of ten years, Hongbaek had transcended the limits of the hawk species and grown tremendously large.
Not to mention hawks, even large birds like eagles or cranes were no match for Hongbaek.
Hongbaek was the ruler of the Cheonbaeksan sky.
Once Hongbaek took to the sky, all the birds of Cheonbaeksan would lose their wits and hide in the forest.
Baek Ho-yang was Hongbaek’s second favorite person.
The first was, of course, Woo Geom-san.
It was passed down as an established fact that wherever Hongbaek was, Woo Geom-san was there too. The appearance of Hongbaek was no different from saying that Woo Geom-san was coming here.
Sure enough.
Soon, the presence of a person was felt outside the house.
Following the light footsteps, the sound of a door opening was heard shortly after. Then, a man standing six feet tall stepped inside the house.
His black hair, grown long down to his waist, possessed more luster than that of any woman, and in contrast, his stark white skin was as fair as snow.
He had thick facial lines and distinct features fitting for a man, but what stood out particularly among them were his deep eyes, which looked as though black jewels had been embedded in them.
His eyes, deep to an unknowable end, were mysterious enough to make one lose their soul just by looking at them.
Even though he wore the same shabby clothes as the villagers, he did not look wretched at all; rather, the man who exuded an air of nobility was Woo Geom-san.
Woo Geom-san brightened up upon seeing the two.
“Grandfather! I-yeon, you were here too?”
“Welcome back. You’re a bit late today.”
“Why don’t you come around a bit earlier? What’s so good about a desolate, empty mountain peak that you linger there all the time? You should meet a good person and get married too, brother. If you’re always on the mountain, you won’t even have time to meet anyone.”
As always, Baek Ho-yang welcomed him warmly, and Nam I-yeon chided him. Since it was a very familiar routine, it was nothing unusual.
“I get it. I’ll come around earlier.”
“Hmph!”
At Woo Geom-san’s gentle response, Nam I-yeon could not continue her chiding any further.
Baek Ho-yang patted the back of Nam I-yeon’s hand and stared intently at Woo Geom-san.
“Your expression looks good. Did you break it down?”
“Yes! I broke down the great wall. But another wall is blocking my way.”
“Did you think you could break down all the walls at once? You must take your time and do everything step by step so that a heart demon does not slip in.”
“Haha! I know that in my head, but it doesn’t work out easily.”
Woo Geom-san scratched his head and smiled.
Nam I-yeon thought that Woo Geom-san’s smile was beautiful.
‘Hmph! It’s a relief he’s staying here, because if he goes down the mountain with that face, it’ll cause an uproar.’

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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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