The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 34

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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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Chapter 34
Clang!
The table lurched violently at Seop Yeon’s words.
Gu Ja-un had jumped from his seat beside him.
“That’s… that can’t be right. The Broad Sword Master taking disciples?”
He caught himself and clamped his mouth shut, glancing nervously around, but Jung I-sin had heard him clearly.
‘Is taking a disciple such a remarkable thing?’
Gu Ja-un seemed to be making an odd fuss about it.
Jung I-sin shook his head without hesitation.
“I’m grateful for the offer, but I must decline.”
“What? Truly? I’m the Broad Sword Master, you know. If you want to become a great swordsman, this is an opportunity you’ll never get again.”
“I already have a master.”
“Ah, Mang-ah-gaek… so you’re that man’s disciple? Krkr.”
Seop Yeon spoke as if he knew Mang-ah-gaek, which put Jung I-sin in an awkward position.
Fortunately, Seop Yeon seemed to have no intention of probing deeper.
“Pity. You’re truly certain?”
“…Yes. I hope this doesn’t mean you won’t answer my question about Namgung Baek.”
It was a question about whether he would still get information regarding Namgung Baek.
Seop Yeon’s eyebrows and the corners of his mouth twitched immediately.
His expression brimmed with interest, though for such an accomplished master, his face was surprisingly easy to read.
‘Or perhaps he simply doesn’t bother concealing it.’
Seop Yeon remained composed throughout.
“Hmm. Not now… I’ll tell you later.”
……
“Of course, if you study the sword under me, I’ll tell you right away.”
It was something Jung I-sin could not accept.
He couldn’t even properly execute the Sword Technique he’d learned from Namgung Baek at this moment.
How could he take on a new master when he hadn’t yet mastered what he already possessed?
“I’ll find another way to satisfy you.”
“Fine then. Shall we start by traveling together? Heading to Sinyang?”
“Yes.”
It was a unilateral decision.
Jung I-sin had intended to apologize to Mu-jin and ask his permission, but when Mu-jin saw his expression, he accepted the arrangement far more readily than expected.
So they had all spent the night, and now they gathered as it was.
Jung I-sin, whose mind had been tangled with thoughts of Namgung Baek the previous night, now wore a bewildered expression.
His rigid face became foolishly stunned the moment he joined up with the martial artists of Jeongdo-cheonamang.
“…Horses?”
The means of travel in this era were all too obvious.
One could even say it was the only option, so why hadn’t he thought of it until now?
Mu-jin turned his head toward Jung I-sin’s gaze.
“Horses, right?”
“…Yes, horses.”
“Why didn’t we have horses? Now that I think about it, the Abbot seemed to have suggested horses for us.”
……
Mu-jin spoke without meeting his eyes, yet his tone was surprisingly confident despite his awkward manner.
“Because Priest Beomcheon walked.”
“…That’s ridiculous.”
Afterward, there was some back-and-forth about who would ride with Jung I-sin and Mu-jin, but the conclusion came from elsewhere.
“The Lord asked that you not feel burdened. He also sent his apologies for not being present due to his busy schedule.”
A martial artist from Nojeong Geommun brought over two horses and conveyed the intention of their lord.
By this point, Jung I-sin felt quite uncomfortable.
‘I haven’t even opened the Spirit Elixir yet.’
Still, he was in no position to refuse, so he accepted one horse.
At Mu-jin’s questioning gaze, Jung I-sin answered by climbing up behind him.
“I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
……
Soon Seop Yeon gave his horse a light kick to the side, and the party left Mugang County.
* * *
Shortly after Jung I-sin and his group departed, two figures took their seats in that place.
They were Song Hwa-yeol, the Lord of Nojeong Geommun, and a figure draped entirely in black garments.
Song Hwa-yeol’s brow furrowed as he watched the distant figures dwindle to specks and vanish.
“We’ll set the other matter aside for now. Once we crush the Remnant Flower Fist, that family is finished anyway.”
“I shall send word for them to withdraw.”
“Do that. Gwanggeom’s mastery exceeds what I’d anticipated—it would be wasteful to engage directly.”
“What of the disciple who serves Mang-ah-gaek?”
The question stirred yesterday’s encounter in his mind.
That upright face, unable to utter a bitter word to the one bowing before him.
The Qi Aura he carried was impeccably refined, yet it didn’t transcend the bounds of his generation.
At best, on par with Mu-jin.
There was no pressing need to check him—but measures had already been taken regarding the variable that was Mang-ah-gaek.
“Leave him be. He’ll burst apart from the Nojeong Poison anyway.”
Still, Song Hwa-yeol felt a twinge of regret at having released the failed experiment so freely.
“Send Song Ho-won to Anwhui. We’ll dispose of him there.”
“……I shall attend to it at once.”
“What of Sapae-cheon’s movements?”
“As expected. It seems the Wolf King will not show his hand.”
Song Hwa-yeol let slip a low chuckle.
Hardly a conversation one could enjoy anywhere but here in Haenam.
All those decades of patience after casting himself adrift—their fruit was beginning to ripen.
“That cunning bastard would never thrust his head into a tiger’s maw.”
“……But striking Cheonmu Academy—is that not a burden even for Sapae-cheon?”
“The Sapae-cheon Master’s madness has flared up again, no doubt. What else would you call him but the Ten-Thousand Thoughts Heavenly Lord? It’s no concern of ours.”
He merely hoped the world would descend a little further into chaos.
* * *
“Jung I-sin! Jung I-sin! Did you hear about that!?”
From their first meeting, he’d recognized that Gu Ja-un was a man who loved the sound of his own voice.
……But he hadn’t known it was this bad.
The man’s mouth didn’t rest even while mounted, traveling at pace.
‘Now I understand why everyone else avoids listening to him.’
He’d answered carelessly a few times, and for days now the man hadn’t left his side.
“Ugh…….”
Jung I-sin still sat behind Mu-jin on horseback.
Which meant Mu-jin had to steer his mount while shouldering both Jung I-sin’s weight and the burden of Gu Ja-un’s endless babble.
“Sorry, master.”
“I’ve told you clearly! I’m not your master……!”
“Jung I-sin!!! Did you!!! Hear about that!!!”
“……Heh.”
Mu-jin’s shoulders heaved sharply.
As though drained of all strength, he let out a hollow laugh and slowed the horse’s pace.
Gu Ja-un, riding close beside them now, cried out.
“Jung I-sin! Do you know who commands the highest price of any martial artist in the world?”
It was an utterly absurd question.
But that mouth from hell wouldn’t cease until it received an answer.
“……A price, you say? Perhaps the Wolf King?”
“Bah-ha-ha! The answer is none other than the monk Mu-jin!”
“……The monk Mu-jin?”
“Exactly so! What is Mu-jin’s sobriquet? Why, it’s the Golden Stronghold! A river made of gold—think how priceless that must be! Bah-ha-ha-hak! Ka-ha-hak!”
“…….”
The sound of Mu-jin grinding his teeth sent shivers down the spine.
Gu Ja-un surely heard it, yet despite gauging the mood, he couldn’t stop his tongue.
“Speaking of the Wolf King, it reminds me of when your master had friction with the Pungyun Faction!”
Was he truly cursed with such a mouth?
Yet oddly enough, for Jung I-sin—who knew little of the current Jianghu—it proved genuinely useful time.
They had taken a break during their journey.
“What younger generation martial artist doesn’t dream of Cheonmu Academy? If one passes the Entrance Examination, it guarantees achievements beyond measure.”
Especially his talk of Cheonmu Academy resonated strongly.
Though Shaolin had its own reputation, the information from those who’d prepared specifically for the Academy’s entrance exam was vivid and alive.
“It’s a place of dreams for any martial artist. Even the great sects rarely possess Superior Martial Arts of the caliber taught there, I’m told. Of course, the Academy’s doors stand open to all.”
“Hm. Is such a thing even possible?”
A secret that is no secret remains, after all, no secret.
Across the vast expanse of the Central Plains, martial artists and martial arts might abound, yet those called Superior Martial Arts were but a rare few.
The teaching that one should flee at the mere mention of Chang Bo-do’s name was no exaggeration—it came from the Tang Mu-jeong’s own instruction.
Here at the Dosan Swordforest, there were moths drawn to the flame of greater martial prowess, so many they verged on the grotesque.
Yet they were opening all of it to public view.
“A bold decision for the advancement of Jeongdo Jianghu. Surely it shows the first Academy Master’s spirit being carried forward properly?”
“……The first Academy Master.”
The budding interest drained away in an instant.
Jung I-sin rose from his seat without hesitation.
Gu Ja-un, who had just been enumerating the first Academy Master’s achievements, looked flustered.
“Wait, Jung I-sin?”
“Yes, I heard it all. It was very entertaining.”
Jung I-sin’s expression suggested he found none of it entertaining as he passed Gu Ja-un by.
He remained distant with everyone else, so in the end, only Mu-jin sought him out.
“Master, get him away from me. I’m going mad from the noise.”
“A calamity of your own making, I’d say.”
“That’s unfair.”
“……Gu Ja-un’s master, Yu Cheon-geom the Adept, is renowned throughout Gangseong for his Soft Sword technique. Gu Ja-un himself is reckoned a younger generation martial artist who has properly inherited his legacy.”
“So?”
“An exchange of teachings would be to your benefit.”
Jung I-sin tilted his head quizzically.
“Doesn’t the Master keep even greater distance than I do?”
Mu-jin found himself at a loss for words at that guileless question.
He was, after all, a monk of Shaolin, and thus not wholly free from the various interests of the Jianghu.
Those with whom he could share fellowship without constraint were few indeed.
But you—are you not free from such bonds?
‘Because you are not of Shaolin……’
The thought that had been running freely halted there.
Had it been their first meeting, he might have said it all without reservation.
But for some reason, his lips would not open easily now.
‘You are not of Shaolin?’
For reasons he could not articulate, he could not state it with certainty.
He simply could not bring himself to say it.
So in the end, he set aside the tangle of his thoughts and concluded curtly.
“I……cannot abide noise.”
* * *
There was a time when Jung I-sin had gaped in astonishment at the scale of Mugang County, and Mu-jin had laughed at him then.
Only now did he understand why.
“This truly is a great metropolis.”
At last they arrived in Sinyang.
A city of truly staggering proportions greeted Jung I-sin.
Through the enormous city gates flowed a press of humanity, and carts laden with goods stretched in an endless line.
Leaving aside the towering city walls, Jung I-sin was already overwhelmed by the sheer mass of people.
“I have business elsewhere, so I’ll part ways now. We’ll meet again soon enough, so there’s no need for a lengthy farewell.”
The company had already passed through the gates under the banner of Jeongdo-cheonamang.
Immediately after, Gwang-geom Commander Seop Yeon spoke a few brief words and vanished.
Truly vanished. Not even a hint of the Light Movement Technique was visible.
Yet seeing that Je-gal Jeok and the others showed no great surprise suggested this was not their first such occurrence.
They merely offered their farewells calmly.
“Next we meet, I shall be clad in Blue Martial Robes. I wish you success in your endeavor, Mu-jin.”
“May you too achieve all that you have set your heart upon, Je-gal Jeok.”
Je-gal Jeok and Mu-jin exchanged words on behalf of the company.
The journey had been short to begin with, and from their very first meeting things had been strained, so growing close had not been easy.
Or perhaps, truth be told, neither side had wished to grow close at all.
Wi-seok still watched Jung I-sin as though he wanted to kill him, while Gong-son Young showed no interest whatsoever. Eon So-ran occasionally cast an ambiguous glance his way, though it never translated into action.
In the end, only Gu Ja-un waved toward Jung I-sin with an anxious expression.
“Next time I shall make sure to draw a laugh from you, Jung I-sin!”
“Sure, whatever. See you next time.”
Muttering indifferently whether Gu Ja-un heard him or not, Jung I-sin turned and found that Mu-jin had already moved far ahead.
Jung I-sin quickly caught up with him and asked.
“If it were to be like this, why did the Gwang-geom Commander ask us to travel together in the first place?”
“……Occasionally, some uncouth fellows call our senior Jung I-sin the Mad Swordsman, though he’s the Radiant Sword Master.”
“Ha! Master, no matter how eccentric, calling a senior of the Jeongdo martial world a sword-mad lunatic is rather—”
“I’m not saying that’s what he is!!”
Mu-jin’s reaction was the most amusing, as always.
“Since the senior indulges in unconventional behavior, it’s best not to dwell on it.”
The two of them wandered through Sinyang, exchanging unremarkable conversation.
The crowds here were absolutely staggering.
What struck him most was that the vast majority of them were Martial Artists.
So many wore edged weapons at their belts as they moved through the streets.
“The Entrance Examination Ceremony is nearly upon us. At this time of year, Sinyang enjoys prosperity equal to Seongdo itself.”
Mu-jin was right.
Even finding an inn room was a struggle.
Sitting in a guest chamber and gazing down at the street, one saw every conceivable type of Martial Artist passing below.
From those who had barely touched the threshold of Internal Energy to those whose overflowing power leaked uncontrollably wherever they went.
From the lowborn to the highborn, Martial Artists of every description had gathered in Sinyang.
All of them carried the same dream—to enter Cheonmu Academy.
Jung I-sin felt an uncomfortable ambivalence each time he witnessed this.
The legacy of his sworn enemy, and yet…… the cradle of the martial way that every Martial Artist of Jeongdo yearned for.
‘Yes, that’s why I came here directly—to confirm it myself.’
* * *
Every Martial Artist who had come to Sinyang had gathered at the foot of Cheonmu Mountain.
Before them stood the massive archway called the Heavenly Martial Gate, bearing the nameplate of Cheonmu Academy.
Behind it stretched a dense forest that welcomed all the ambitious Martial Artists.
Then, down the stone steps beyond the archway, a group of Martial Artists descended.
“Those are—!”
“At last!”
A man clad in pure white martial robes led the way, followed by several Martial Artists in red robes.
The brilliant character for Martial embroidered on their shoulders announced their station.
Each of them radiated a formidable Qi Aura. Even Jung I-sin felt a chill run through him.
Finally, they took their places before the archway.
Now the gathering could scarcely contain its fervor.
“Today! I, Lee Ho-yeol, shall claim the blue robes of Cheonmu Academy!”
A shout burst forth without warning.
A young man’s eyes gleamed bright, his face flushed crimson, his fist raised high to the heavens.
Though sudden, his declaration drew no mockery.
They all harbored the same dream.
“Haha! I, Hwang Do-yeon, finest swordsman of Gangseong, now stand before the Heavenly Martial Gate!”
“Jeolgang’s future is here! Chu Myeong-hye has come to Cheonmu Academy!”
From all sides, one declaration of intent after another was cast forth.
Even the crisp wind of a winter dawn could not cool the burning ardor.
“Phew……”
Jung I-sin pretended not to notice Mu-jin exhaling hotly beside him.
Had he witnessed even his master’s expression, he knew he would lose control of himself in this overwhelming atmosphere.
Thrummmmm—
And finally.
The Heavenly Martial Gate blazed with brilliant light.
내가 품은 벼락이 너무 강함
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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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