The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 68

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

68
The Sword Contest
Woo Geom-san lay sprawled on his back on the wooden bench, staring blankly up at the sky.
Physically, it hadn’t been an exhausting sword conversation at all.
After all, he had only moved a few paces and swung his wooden sword a few dozen times.
Yet, Woo Geom-san felt more exhausted now than if he had spent ten days and nights in intense cultivation training.
Through his sword conversation with Baek Ho-yang, Woo Geom-san realized that he had been nothing more than a frog in a well.
He felt it in his bones during their exchange: there was always a higher sky above, and no limits existed for a martial artist.
Though his physical body might have grown decrepit, Baek Ho-yang’s spirit had never stopped growing.
Even while teaching clumsy young children how to read and imparting basic martial arts for self-defense, he had gained enlightenments, compiled them all, and displayed them to Woo Geom-san.
For some reason, tears pricked at his eyes.
That was why he couldn’t bring himself to move.
High up in the sky, he could see Hongbaek soaring in circles.
He had no idea how much time passed like that.
His peace came to an abrupt end when the village children swarmed into the courtyard.
“Big brother!”
“Geom-san brother! What are you doing?”
The children rushed over in a crowd and piled on top of Geom-san as he lay sprawled out.
“Oof! My stomach’s going to burst, guys.”
With five or six children climbing on top of him and pressing down, the pressure was considerable.
Woo Geom-san’s face turned red as he begged for mercy, but that only made the children push down with more excitement.
“I surrender! I surrender!”
“Heehee!”
“We won!”
Only after Woo Geom-san finally declared defeat did the children stop pressing down and scramble off him.
“You little rascals!”
Woo Geom-san spread his arms wide and chased after the children.
“Yikes!”
“Wooheehee!”
Shouting at the top of their lungs, the children scattered to escape Woo Geom-san.
And so, completely forgetting the age gap, Woo Geom-san and the children played a game of tag.
Though Woo Geom-san could have caught them at any moment if he truly wished, he intentionally let them slide.
The children ran around the courtyard with even greater enthusiasm.
Once the sudden storm of excitement subsided, the door to Baek Ho-yang’s room swung open.
Baek Ho-yang poked his head out from the doorway and barked a scolding.
“You little rascals! Today is a rest day, so why all this racket?”
“We came to learn how to read!”
“We came because we missed you, grandpa!”
Completely unfazed by the old Taoist’s booming voice, the children dashed straight into his room.
Though it was absurd that they had invaded on a day off, Baek Ho-yang smiled, finding their eagerness endearing.
Before the door closed, Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang locked eyes.
For a fleeting moment, Baek Ho-yang’s face looked as though it had aged at least a decade. It made Woo Geom-san feel all the more apologetic.
When Woo Geom-san bowed his head with deep reverence, Baek Ho-yang nodded silently.
Feigning perfect nonchalance, Baek Ho-yang closed the door.
A moment later, the rhythmic sound of children reciting characters flowed out from inside the room.
Woo Geom-san stared at Baek Ho-yang’s room for a very long time.
***
The village youth woke up early in the morning and bustled about in a flurry of activity.
Today was the day they would head to Guangu County to sell the Xiacai and Yuqian tea they had harvested just a short while ago.
Since it was a routine repeated three or four times every year, it wasn’t anything particularly special, but the youth looked exceptionally thrilled today because it was the first time they would use the plank road they had labored so hard to build.
They had even prepared wagons just for this occasion.
The path they used before had been far too rugged for anyone to dare use a wagon, but the plank road was wide and flat enough for wagons to pass through easily.
“Tie the ropes tight so the sacks don’t tip over.”
“Check the wheels one more time.”
“We can load a few more sacks over here.”
The entire village pitched in to inspect the wagons and load the sacks bursting with tea.
On this day, Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san also stepped outside for the first time in a while.
Baek Ho-yang watched the villagers loading the tea sacks onto the wagons.
“Everyone looks in high spirits.”
“Isn’t this the first day we’re using the plank road? A ten-day journey has been cut down to two, so it’s only natural they’re happy. It would be stranger if they weren’t excited, considering it’s the first time they’re using a plank road they built with their own hands.”
“Are you doing alright?”
“About what?”
“You built half of that plank road yourself, didn’t you?”
“Aw, come on! It wasn’t that much.”
Woo Geom-san waved his hands in dismissal.
“Regardless, you contributed your strength to making the plank road, so you ought to try using it.”
“I can always use it later.”
“Don’t be like that, go down to Guangu County with them. While you’re at it, buy some books for me to read.”
“Have you already finished all the ones that came in recently?”
“There were only a few volumes… I finished them a long time ago.”
Hearing Baek Ho-yang’s words, Woo Geom-san knit his brows slightly.
A strange sensation washed over him. He stared intently at Baek Ho-yang’s face, but he couldn’t detect any unusual expression on the old man’s countenance.
“Alright. I’ll scour all of Guangu County to see if there are any books fit for you to read, grandpa.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s there to thank? It’ll be nice for me to get a breath of fresh air after so long.”
“While you’re heading down, you should bring back a nice young lady just like Hyeong-o did. You’re not getting any younger, how long do you plan on living all by yourself?”
“Oh, boy! Here comes the nagging. I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.”
The moment marriage was brought up, Woo Geom-san plugged both ears and shook his head wildly.
Baek Ho-yang chuckled softly at Woo Geom-san’s childish reaction.
“Is the idea of getting married really that terrible to you?”
“It’s the nagging about getting married that I hate.”
“I’m only saying this because I’m worried you’ll end up growing old as a stubborn bachelor.”
“Then I’ll just become a Taoist like you, grandpa.”
“What’s so good about being a Taoist?”
“Hey now! You’re the last person who should say that, grandpa. You’re a Taoist yourself, in name and designation…”
“I really can’t defeat you in a battle of words.”
Baek Ho-yang shook his head in resignation.
Woo Geom-san stepped behind Baek Ho-yang and began massaging his shoulders as he spoke.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on living alone forever. It might not be right now, but when the right woman comes along, I’ll live a sweet, happy life with her. Then I’ll make sure to present you with a healthy, plump great-grandson, grandpa.”
“Can I actually believe that lie?”
“You know very well that I don’t tell lies, don’t you?”
“Fine, fine! I’ll let myself be fooled just this once.”
“I’m serious! Heheh!”
Woo Geom-san put more effort into massaging Baek Ho-yang’s shoulders.
Baek Ho-yang pulled his hands away and said,
“That’s enough. It hurts.”
“I can massage you some more.”
“Instead of wasting time on that, go get ready to leave.”
“Alright.”
With no other choice, Woo Geom-san stepped away from Baek Ho-yang.
In truth, there wasn’t much to prepare.
It wasn’t like the old days when it took ten whole days to descend the mountain.
Woo Geom-san simply went inside his house and emerged with nothing but a single sword.
“You must take good care of your health until I return, okay?”
“Don’t you worry about me. I might end up outliving you anyway.”
“Haha! That would be even better.”
“Shoo! What’s so good about outliving your own grandson? Stop talking nonsense and hurry on down.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Baek Ho-yang’s dismissive wave, Woo Geom-san joined the rest of the youth.
The young men were delighted when Woo Geom-san announced he was descending the mountain with them.
Nam Mu-rin in particular was so thrilled that he practically bounced up and down.
This was the very first time he was going down the mountain together with Woo Geom-san.
Even though he was already twenty-two years old, Nam Mu-rin still acted like a young child whenever he was in front of Woo Geom-san.
Baek Wol-sang shouted at the top of his lungs,
“Alright, let’s head out!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the young men began moving, leading the donkeys forward.
Rumble, screech!
Naturally, the wheels of the wagons pulled by the donkeys began to roll, scraping against the ground.
The group left the village and smoothly entered the plank road.
Woo Geom-san suddenly turned his head to look back.
From far away, Baek Ho-yang was standing there, watching him.
When Woo Geom-san waved his hand, Baek Ho-yang smiled and waved back.
Baek Ho-yang kept waving his hand continuously until Woo Geom-san rounded a bend in the plank road and vanished from sight.
Once Baek Ho-yang could no longer be seen, Woo Geom-san let out a soft sigh.
“Sigh.”
“What’s wrong, brother?”
“It’s nothing. Why do you ask?”
“I’m just excited. This is our first time going down using the plank road, after all.”
“From now on, we’ll always be using this path. Still, just in case, you need to remember the old trail we used to take properly.”
“Don’t worry about that. I remember it perfectly.”
Nam Mu-rin thumped his chest with his fist and boasted loudly.
Woo Geom-san chuckled softly and patted Nam Mu-rin on the head.
“Heheh!”
At Woo Geom-san’s touch, Nam Mu-rin let out a pleased smile.
If anyone else had done that, it would have put him in a foul mood, but it was perfectly fine because it was Woo Geom-san.
Ever since he was young, Woo Geom-san had frequently patted his head while offering praise.
Woo Geom-san removed his hand from Nam Mu-rin’s head and surveyed their surroundings.
Having practically lived on this path for fifteen long years, the scenery was incredibly familiar.
The floor and walls of the plank road were steeped in the sweat of Woo Geom-san and the villagers.
Solely through their own strength, they had split massive boulders, shaved down uneven ground, and erected railings along the treacherous precipices.
Naturally, passing through this place brought back an overwhelming wave of emotions.
The young men reached out and gently caressed the stone walls of the plank road.
The traces of someone’s hammer blows could be felt right at their fingertips.
Suddenly, Baek Wol-sang, who was walking at the very front, spoke up.
“This plank road will become the lifeline of our village. As long as we continue to interact with the outside world through this path, our village will gradually prosper.”
“You really went through a lot of trouble, elder brother!”
“Everyone went through a lot of trouble.”
With a smile, Baek Wol-sang looked around at the young men.
Just then, someone chimed in.
“Hey, but didn’t our Hyeong-o end up getting all the benefits here?”
“Seriously! We poured our blood and sweat into this work, and now Hyeong-o is using it to easily bring home a new bride.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted toward Cha Hyeong-o. Seeing this, his parents, who were walking alongside him, quickly interjected.
“Don’t be too hard on him. Once we bring back Hyeong-o’s bride, we’ll throw a massive feast for everyone.”
“We’ll feed you enough alcohol and meat to your heart’s content. We need to see some grandsons and granddaughters ourselves, don’t you think?”
At the words of Cha Hyeong-o’s parents, Baek Wol-sang flashed a mischievous grin.
“It sounds like you’ll have to slaughter at least one pig for that, will you be alright with that?”
“What do you mean, a pig? I’ll slaughter a cow, a whole cow!”
“Is that a promise?”
“Of course! Our son is finally about to escape his bachelorhood, do you think I wouldn’t be able to slaughter a single cow for that?”
When Cha Hyeong-o’s father boldly declared he would slaughter a cow, the entire group erupted into boisterous laughter.
“Wow! A cow!”
“It’s been a while since we’ve loosen our belts and feasted.”
“Wonderful!”
Watching the young men celebrate, Woo Geom-san shook his head with a grin and remarked,
“At this rate, Hyeong-o’s house is going to be completely ruined from the expenses.”
“Even so, they’ll be overjoyed. You have no idea how diligently they raised that cow and those pigs just so they could hand them down to Hyeong-o.”
“I suppose that’s true…”
Woo Geom-san nodded in agreement with Nam Mu-rin’s words.
Woo Geom-san had traveled down the mountain several times before to sell tea, but this was the first time he was traveling in such absolute comfort.
The simple fact that they no longer had to risk their lives trekking along a rugged, perilous mountain path put smiles on everyone’s faces.
Since the path was no longer dangerous, they finally had the leisure to look around at their surroundings, and they could crack jokes with a light heart.
All of this was possible solely because they had built the plank road.
Woo Geom-san felt a profound sense of gratitude toward Baek Ho-yang, who had been the very first to conceive the idea of creating this plank road.
Though they didn’t voice it aloud, every single villager undoubtedly shared the exact same sentiment.
Just then, the clouds could be seen swirling on the wind. The shadow cast beneath the clouds enveloped Woo Geom-san and the youth.
Without even realizing it, Woo Geom-san softly murmured a poem.
The wind arrives, yet it does not come alone, as the clouds form a shadow to follow along.
In my home stands an old white pine tree, whisper my greetings to its branches for me.
May you look upon each other for a long time to come, so that its ancient stature stands proud under the sun.

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