The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 46

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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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Episode 46
—The Foremost Tae-heo Gang-gang Gong in the World
Wiping away dust so thick it obscured everything, the inscription had emerged.
The calligraphy was somewhat free-spirited, as if the writer lacked deep training in the art. Yet there was something peculiar about how it merged with the meaning of the characters themselves.
“Well, it’s only natural that a Grand Master would regard his own martial arts as supreme.”
There was no reason to mock him for it.
Jeong I-sin gathered up the Secret Manual and turned to leave.
“Huh.”
He’d forgotten Hyeon Poong’s presence and gave a short start all over again.
“Ugh…….”
“Y-you’ve worked hard.”
He passed the dazed Mudang Sect priest and climbed the stairs once more. Halfway up, he suddenly noticed something odd—the sound of footsteps seemed to overlap with his own.
Whoosh—!
A wind swept across the staircase in an instant, and something came flying. His body reacted instinctively. He spun half a rotation and retreated backward in one fluid motion.
Crash!
The stone wall erupted where Jeong I-sin had been standing. As he leaped toward the shower of debris, he suddenly froze.
The lamplight had illuminated the staircase.
Embedded deep in the stone wall was the fist of Baek Elder.
“……Elder Baek?”
“What, what is it? You, you, you……!”
Baek Elder stood there, his face showing even more shock than Jeong I-sin, who’d just been attacked out of nowhere.
Jeong I-sin dispersed the Internal Qi he’d gathered and asked carefully.
“Did you see a ghost, sir? Though if you strike like that, I doubt even a ghost would dare move.”
“You…… haven’t come down yet?”
“That’s a rather lonely thing to say, sir.”
As Jeong I-sin calmly held out the Secret Manual, Baek Elder’s eyelids began to flutter.
“H-how……?”
“I simply retrieved it. This is the right one, isn’t it? There was nothing else in the stone chamber.”
……
After studying Jeong I-sin and the Secret Manual in turn for some time, Baek Elder turned around.
“Let’s go up for now.”
They’d climbed the winding staircase about two full rotations when Baek Elder suddenly asked.
“That priest—wasn’t he there?”
“He was just standing there vacant, so I left him be.”
“……That’s actually the normal thing.”
Following the muttering elder, they returned to the first floor of Manmugak.
Baek Elder, now seated at that antique desk, pressed his index fingers firmly against the corners of his eyes.
“I apologize for changing my terms, but Manmugak cannot be used today. You’ll need to wait another two days. In the meantime, I can answer any questions about things I know.”
At his remark about knowing much because of his age, Jeong I-sin scratched his head.
“Actually, I was thinking of studying some martial arts related to combat techniques.”
“What? Did you come here looking for that as well?”
“That?”
Jeong I-sin was about to ask again when he saw Baek Elder’s face crumple. He sensed the mood and shook his head knowingly.
“No, sir. That’s not why I’m here. I was simply curious about what martial arts Manmugak contains.”
“Hmm…….”
“There’s no helping it, then. I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait.”
Baek Elder stopped Jeong I-sin just as he bowed and turned to leave.
Narrowing his brow and gnawing at his lower lip, the elder seemed to reach a decision and asked.
“Your name is Jeong I-sin, correct?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you look inside the Secret Manual?”
“I only saw the cover.”
Harrumph!
Baek Elder sprang up from the desk and approached him.
Though his frame was a head shorter than Jeong I-sin, the pressure he exuded was formidable.
Baek Elder came at him with heavy footfalls and thrust the Secret Manual into his hands.
The moment Jeong I-sin caught it, the elder struck his shoulder.
With a sharp crack, his body lurched.
“Ugh!”
“Do it! This too is destiny! Yes, fortune has found you!”
Baek Elder seized Jeong I-sin by both shoulders and shook him.
“Feel it, don’t you? Your chest about to burst? That’s yours!”
“W-what are you saying…!?”
“Krhehe! Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. This is no dream! A Fortuitous Encounter, a Fortuitous Encounter! In-seok!”
Boom—
‘This isn’t wonderful, it’s agony…!’
Baek Elder, skeletal as he was, wielded an impossible strength.
His grip was so fierce that the temple bell within seemed ready to toll.
Amber-colored Internal Qi pooled across Jeong I-sin’s shoulders.
But what happened next was beyond belief.
The moment Baek Elder’s hand touched the Yeokgeun Sesu Gyeong’s Internal Qi, it began to dissipate.
“I’m making proper preparations myself!”
“…Pardon?”
“Return in a few days!”
Baek Elder paid him no mind and shoved Jeong I-sin out of Manmugak.
Creak—
“…What is this?”
The enormous gate slammed shut.
* * *
South of Manmugak lay a vast plaza ringed by dozens of pavilions.
Its formal name was Mujik Plaza, though the disciples typically called it the Great Plaza.
“…Has he lost his mind?”
Sitting slumped in the plaza and kneading his shoulders, the words escaped him unbidden.
No matter how he turned Baek Elder’s erratic behavior over in his mind, he could make no sense of it.
“A shame. Even formidable martial skill yields to age.”
With that resignation, he opened the Secret Manual. Of course, there remained a thread of hope.
The first sentence read:
―The Leader is…
Snap!
“Forget it.”
Jeong I-sin closed the book with a sigh. Dang Mu-jung’s voice, vivid as yesterday despite the years between, cut through his mind.
‘If you exchange more than two words with someone who calls himself the Leader, you’ll catch his disease. It’s a vicious madness—never encounter him under any circumstance.’
A book could hardly be different.
Jeong I-sin rubbed his eyes hard, trying to erase the ill-starred sight.
What next caught his gaze was a stone statue standing in the plaza’s center.
An elderly man with folded arms, smiling benevolently.
At the inscription below, Jeong I-sin rubbed his eyes again.
He had now seen two cursed things in succession.
―First Headmaster of Cheonmu Academy, Je-gal Gi-cheon.
“Damn it. Rotten luck.”
The curse came unbidden, yet the statue’s presence in the academy’s heart spoke volumes.
So this place truly belonged to the traitor who betrayed Yeom. The academy that traitor had left behind with all his legacy.
Face to face with it now, unease crept in.
Had Je-gal Gi-cheon lived, Jeong I-sin would have burned to ask him one question.
‘What was your reason for founding Cheonmu Academy, you treacherous dog?’
Did he hunger to be a hero? Him, who betrayed Yeom and the others? Was it guilt’s cry?
‘Maddening. Have I been too fortunate? Should I dig deeper into Je-gal Gi-cheon now? What of Namgung and the Dang Family? When will I contact the Secret Martial Technique through Eon? Namgung is…’
Suddenly, scattered thoughts began to sprawl without end. They would not stop. He hadn’t even tried to stop them.
Each stray thought seized his heart mercilessly.
And then it came.
Boom— Boom—
The temple bell tolled. As if to compensate for what had happened in Manmugak, it rang long and deep.
For the first time in ages, the Yeokgeun Sesu Gyeong cradled Jeong I-sin’s mind.
“…I shouldn’t have looked. Wasted my sight.”
Grumbling, Jeong I-sin tore his gaze from the statue.
Merely to look at it troubled the heart so; it was a demon in stone form.
“I’d like nothing better than to smash it to pieces.”
As he muttered thus, a familiar voice reached him.
“Hmm? Young Master Jeong?”
Bang Si-jung was waving from far away.
Jeong I-sin looked at his face and tilted his head in confusion.
“What’s wrong with your face? The bruises around your eyes are gone, but now your cheeks are swollen?”
Wasn’t it because of the bruises from the evaluation match that they hadn’t gone to the Medical Hall together that morning?
At that, Bang Si-jung approached with his nostrils flaring.
“No! Listen to what I have to say, Jeong!”
Bang Si-jung bounced into his seat as if springing upward, and his words tumbled out.
After Jeong I-sin had gone into the Medical Hall first and received treatment, Bang Si-jung also had his wounds tended to, but apparently exhaustion had accumulated because he dozed off without realizing it.
“So after that good long nap, I come out of the ward and there’s Eon and Gongsun Yachas, right? I just wanted to exchange some pleasantries, but that demon woman was glaring at me so suspiciously!”
Truly, I was speechless.
Bang Si-jung struck his chest repeatedly in frustration.
“That’s very like her. So what happened after?”
“After?”
“Yes?”
“A man like Bang Si-jung changes. I’ve truly made up my mind to wander the Martial World as a genuine wandering martial artist. I have an agreement with Yeom, after all.”
Bang Si-jung’s eyes suddenly took on a wistful, melancholic gleam, and Jeong I-sin furrowed his brow.
‘He does seem a bit lighter than before, now that I think about it.’
Swallowing the cold assessment he had no intention of voicing, Jeong I-sin listened as Bang Si-jung made an unintended confession.
“Doesn’t a wandering martial artist need to cultivate connections with many warriors? I was trying to build a friendship with Jan Hwa-gwon and Gongsun Yachas on this occasion. But that heartless demon just threw a punch at me out of nowhere!”
“What did you do to provoke her?”
“Well, Jan Hwa-gwon had some precious Precious Wound Medicine, so I asked to share a bit of it.”
……
“Ha! Instead of getting Precious Wound Medicine, I got wounds that needed Precious Wound Medicine.”
As he spoke, he puckered his lips as if seeking sympathy.
Jeong I-sin laughed softly and rose from his seat.
“You were in the wrong, Bang.”
“……What!?”
Suddenly, his spirits lifted considerably.
* * *
Bang Si-jung’s rambling continued all the way to the Dormitory. Since he too had received a high ranking in the evaluation match, Jeong I-sin had no way to escape.
The first floor of the Dormitory was a common area where fine refreshments were always laid out.
As Jeong I-sin sank into a luxurious chair, Bang Si-jung produced some refreshments and inquired casually.
“By the way, I never knew you took an interest in that sort of thing?”
“That sort of thing?”
“The Tae-heo Gang-gang Gong. I happened to see it in the plaza the other day.”
“Ah, I see.”
Jeong I-sin felt a slight hesitation at broaching the subject of Baek Elder’s ailment, so he deflected lightly.
“I came across it by chance.”
“I figured as much. You’re not the type to have studied the lore behind it.”
“Lore?”
“The Tae-heo Gang-gang Gong, the Tae-ryeong Gang-gang Gong, the Tae-gong Gang-gang Gong, the Tae-gang Gang-gang Gong. There are countless variants. All of them trace back to the handiwork of Moo-myeong Seon, a peerless master from decades ago.”
“What are these frenetic names?”
Bang Si-jung’s explanation was straightforward.
Decades ago, there was a powerful family of the Demon Sect that suddenly invaded Sichuan.
The figure known as Moo-myeong Seon had acted during that time without ever revealing his face, and his exploits and deeds became his aliases.
The reason his name has survived to this day, however, was something else entirely.
“He spread word far and wide that he would leave all his achievements somewhere and then depart from the Martial World. For someone who hid his identity, he certainly enjoyed the attention.”
“A peculiar person indeed.”
“In truth, the true names of his Secret Martial Techniques have never been clearly established. My guess is that Moo-myeong Seon himself spread the names of techniques like the Tae-heo Gang-gang Gong and the Tae-ryeong Gang-gang Gong.”
“Ha ha ha!”
It was a fascinating story. To hear it told, he had been quite the master, yet he possessed such human qualities.
“Of course, his accomplishments cannot be diminished. He’s likely been the martial artist who has slain the most Demons and Evil Beings since Na Gun-cheon the Great Hero.”
“……Na Gun-cheon.”
“Ah yes! Since you wield Thunder Qi, he must be particularly relevant to you.”
“Yes…… well.”
Na Gun-cheon…… Come to think of it, investigating him was something he needed to do as well.
According to what Baek Ri-hyeon had told him, the reason Thunder Qi held a different standing now seemed to trace back to him.
‘……Thinking it through like this, I can’t overlook the Beast’s Path either. Je-gal Gi-cheon, Cheonmu Academy, Namgung, the Dang Family…… and now another is added to the list.’
His spirits, which had brightened with the story of Moo-myeong Seon, began to sink once more.
But unlike in the great plaza, he had a clear grasp of his situation now.
Jeong I-sin first established exactly why he had come to Cheonmu Academy.
‘Cheonmu Academy and Je-gal Gi-cheon. I can sort that out slowly as I move through the academy. Searching this place and that won’t solve it right away. No need to rush. I have four years anyway.’
Next came Namgung and the Dang Family.
‘I’ll think about Namgung after meeting with Professor Yeom. First, the Dang Family—the path is already open. Using Eon… no, is it using her? It’s mutual benefit.’
It wasn’t for nothing that he’d sought out Manmugak. Though he’d gleaned no intelligence and only run errands.
‘Information about Na Gun-cheon and the drifting clients shouldn’t be too difficult to gather through Manmugak.’
Boom—
Matching his thoughts to that deep temple bell tone, one, two, he laid it out: what Jeong I-sin had to do immediately became clear.
‘Figure out how to spar with Eon first.’
He merely nodded along to Bang Si-jung’s rambling voice and continued thinking.
It was right after he’d reached that rough conclusion.
“I-sin, you look burdened by thought.”
A heavy voice rang out from the Dormitory entrance.
Turning his head, he saw Nam Tae-gang dragging some man along behind him.
“…Hyeon Poong?”
Bang Si-jung recognized him, but the Mudang Sect Taoist wore a vacant expression, staring only into empty air.
Nam Tae-gang deposited Hyeon Poong lightly into a chair and approached Jeong I-sin.
“I said you look burdened by thought.”
“I’m not. I had worries just now, but I’ve nearly resolved them all.”
“No, you look burdened.”
“…Why are you like this?”
Nam Tae-gang flicked his index finger.
“Having worries means you’re not strong.”
“What nonsense.”
“Listen well, I-sin. The strong have no worries.”
……
“It’s true.”
Nam Tae-gang spread both arms wide toward Jeong I-sin, at a loss for words.
“Look! I’ve just come from defeating Moo-jin—do I look burdened by worry?”
“…You defeated your teacher?”
“That’s right! How’s that? Do I look burdened by worry!”
“…No. But you always look like that anyway.”
“Exactly—that’s proof I’m strong.”
“You’re insane.”
Jeong I-sin does not prefer logical debate. As a cultivated mind of the Martial World, he possesses the ability; but as a martial artist of the Martial World, he knows it to be inefficient.
Yet in his lifetime, there are precisely two people with whom he doesn’t wish to lose an argument.
In the past, one bore the name Namgung Baek; presently, it is Nam Tae-gang.
Now was exactly the moment when Jeong I-sin could not afford to yield to logic.
“Stop spouting drivel. If being strong means having no worries, then Musang Elder…”
Jeong I-sin’s words trailed off, his eyes blinking.
Even Bang Si-jung regarded Jeong I-sin with an odd look.
Bang!
Jeong I-sin sprang to his feet.
“…Come. I’ll show you a strong man burdened with worry.”
“Hahahaha!”
The Thunder Qi I carry is too vast
Author |
Woo-san Yu
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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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