Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Wei Yan-ho slowly opened his eyes. An unfamiliar sight entered his vision.

“Huh?”

The cave ceiling had definitely changed. It was the ceiling he had been rolling around looking at for three whole days. It had definitely changed.

Wei Yan-ho slowly raised his body and looked around.

“Where is this?”

Looking carefully, he could see the cave where he had been staying to his left.

What was strange was that the cave he had been in clearly had only one entrance and was quite narrow, but the place where he was now was deeper inside than that cave.

“Hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho slowly stood up.

It was strange.

The place where he was had definitely been blocked off.

But after sleeping and waking up, the blocked place was wide open, and he had come inside it.

Wasn’t this something to make even ghosts wail?

That was when it happened.

[Young one.]

A booming voice reached Wei Yan-ho’s ears.

“Gasp!”

Wei Yan-ho turned his head.

He saw something strange in the direction the sound came from.

Something like a snow-white precious jade was emitting bright light.

“Who are you?”

[I welcome the young one who has come to this place following fate. I am a descendant of Gwanggeom Baek Mu-han.]

“Who’s speaking?”

[Young one who will inherit my sword across the long years, it has been a long wait. I now wish to pass on everything of mine to you. Young one, you must inherit my sword and devote yourself to establishing justice in the Martial World.]

“Where are you speaking from?”

Wei Yan-ho looked around.

But there was no person visible anywhere around him.

Moreover, because it was a cave, the sound echoed, so he couldn’t figure out where the voice was coming from.

[Young one, I have already shed the constraints of flesh. I am conveying my will to you across time and space. You must accept my will and pacify All Under Heaven.]

Wei Yan-ho’s face hardened.

‘Shed the constraints of flesh?’

Then…

“A ghost?”

Wei Yan-ho stepped back hesitantly in fear.

[There is nothing to fear. I am already one who has ascended. What remains here is merely my thought-essence. I have left my will here for the young one who would reach this place later. So do not doubt, young one, and follow my will.]

Wei Yan-ho’s ears perked up.

This was a situation he had heard of somewhere.

A cave with no people.

And the thought-essence of a past master!

In the Rivers and Lakes, they would probably call this situation:

“A fateful encounter?”

Absurdly, a fateful encounter had come to Wei Yan-ho.

“Since I’ve lived virtuously, Heaven is bestowing blessings upon me!”

…Heaven must have made some kind of mistake.

[There is no time. Young one, you must inherit my sword and establish justice in All Under Heaven. I will pass on my Gwanggeom Style, so you must polish yourself through endless training. If you have inherited my blood, your talent must be outstanding. If you train here for thirty years, you will be able to reproduce some of my abilities.]

At that moment, Wei Yan-ho turned around without hesitation.

“Thirty years?”

It wasn’t a time period that had any value worth thinking about or comparing. Even five years might have been somewhat tempting, but thirty years!

What use would it be to become a master by being stuck here for thirty years, training like crazy?

It seemed a hundred times better to live comfortably outside, even if somewhat weaker.

[Young one.]

Wei Yan-ho spoke definitively.

“Yes. I don’t think I’m the fated one. Please find the next person.”

[Young one…]

“Well then, farewell!”

“W-wait a moment!”

Wei Yan-ho turned his head slightly.

The voice had changed.

Instead of the booming voice that had been coming out until now, it was a clearly audible voice.

Wei Yan-ho let out a deep sigh.

Of course.

“A swindler!”

Clearly, after trying to pretend there was something mysterious and having his plans fall apart, he was revealing himself.

“A swindler! How dare you see me as what and say such things!”

“Yes, yes, I understand. But where are you?”

“Are you not in front of me!”

Wei Yan-ho looked here and there, but couldn’t see even a shadow of a person.

“I can’t see you.”

“Are you not right in front of me! Right in front of you!”

“So…”

“What a frustrating fellow I’ve encountered! Even though I’m shining this brightly, you don’t know!”

“Eh?”

Only then did Wei Yan-ho look at the precious jade shining before his eyes. The jade placed on what looked like a stone altar was emitting a brilliant radiance.

“Huh?”

“Yes, it’s me!”

Wei Yan-ho quickly stepped back.

“Gh-ghost!”

“No!”

“Then where are you?”

“Am I not here!”

“Ghost!”

“I said no!”

“If you’re not a ghost, then what are you?”

“I am merely a thought-essence. I’m not something like a ghost. I’ve simply left my physical body.”

“You’ve left your physical body… and only your thought-essence remains?”

It was completely unbelievable.

“That’s right.”

Wei Yan-ho screamed “Byeaek!”

“That’s exactly what a ghost is!”

“I said no!”

For a moment, the precious jade shone brightly.

The voice emanating from the jade was full of indignation that hadn’t been there before.

“It’s different from a ghost! Different from a ghost!”

“…Doesn’t look much different to me.”

“Anyway, it’s different from a ghost! You wouldn’t know, but this is something called Thought-Essence Transmission Technique that only martial artists who have reached extremely high levels can do.”

“So that’s what makes you a ghost…”

“I said no!”

The jade’s voice rang thunderously through the cave.

This happened three days after Wei Yan-ho entered the cave, two weeks after he left home.

Wei Yan-ho nodded.

“So, you’ve already passed away, but before passing away, you left your thoughts in that orb?”

“That’s right.”

“Ordinary people would call that sort of thing a ghost…”

“I said no!”

“Anyway, I understand. So what do you want from me? Should I help you achieve Buddhist enlightenment?”

The jade’s light flickered wildly.

“Buddhist enlightenment! I’ve already ascended!”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t believe me?”

“No. I believe you, I believe.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“No, I do. I’m believing.”

“Ugh, that such a fellow would be my descendant.”

The jade’s light flickered.

He simply couldn’t believe that among his descendants there was such a frivolous fellow.

“Wait!”

Suddenly, the jade shone brightly and illuminated Wei Yan-ho.

Light shone on Wei Yan-ho for a long time.

From the top of Wei Yan-ho’s head to the tips of his toes, carefully.

“You, who are you!”

An urgent voice leaked from the jade.

Wei Yan-ho said calmly.

“Me? I’m Wei Yan-ho.”

“Wei Yan-ho? Wei Yan-ho! You mean the Wei surname! You’re not a descendant of the Baek Family! Why are you here! You’re not the fate I arranged!”

A shocked voice poured out like a waterfall from the jade.

Wei Yan-ho looked at the jade as if finding it interesting.

The various colors of light pouring out in diverse ways were quite entertaining.

“I didn’t come here on purpose.”

“Then why did you meditate in the cave for three days!”

“I don’t know about meditation, I just slept.”

“…Slept?”

Wei Yan-ho calmly nodded.

“Yes.”

“You slept for three days without moving from one spot?”

“Yes.”

“What in the world…”

The jade’s light flickered wildly.

It seemed like some problem had occurred.

Fortunately, Wei Yan-ho was a man with very quick wits.

The years of living as a lazy person had given Wei Yan-ho clean situational awareness and quick perception.

It seemed like this place had no connection with him.

Wei Yan-ho stood up.

“From what I hear, I don’t seem to be the fated one, so I’ll be going now. Ghost grandfather, please achieve Buddhist enlightenment too.”

“W-wait!”

“What is it?”

When Wei Yan-ho turned around, the jade glowed slightly.

“…There’s no choice. Since it’s come to this, you’ll have to continue the fate.”

“What? You said I had to continue the fate with the Baek Family.”

“Thought-essence cannot remain indefinitely. I set certain conditions for my thought-essence to awaken. Meditating for three days in the front cave. But… I never knew it would activate under such an absurd condition.”

“I just slept.”

“Who would have imagined there would be a human who would do nothing but sleep for three days without moving from one spot!”

Wei Yan-ho was calm.

“Why are you getting angry?”

“Grr!”

The jade’s voice had become rough.

All the blame lay with Wei Yan-ho, who had slept for three days in an inhuman way, but since it wasn’t intentional, he couldn’t even be angry.

Though he resented Heaven anew, what could be done about what had already happened?

“Anyway, since it’s come to this, you’ll have to continue the fate. I don’t like my sword flowing to somewhere other than the Baek Family, but there’s no other way! Consider it an honor.”

“I’m fine with it.”

“There’s no refusing.”

“No. I’m really fine with it.”

Wei Yan-ho became serious.

“…Fine with it?”

“Yes. I just don’t want to learn it.”

The jade’s light flickered wildly.

“D-dare you say you won’t learn even when I’m offering to pass on my sword? Don’t you know who this Gwanggeom Baek Mu-han is?”

Gwanggeom Baek Mu-han!

Gwanggeom Baek Mu-han?

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes. I’ve never heard of him.”

“Don’t you even know the Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family?”

Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.

“Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family?”

“That’s right! Surely you’re not going to say you haven’t even heard of the Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family?”

It was a voice full of pride.

But Wei Yan-ho coldly dismissed that pride.

“I’m hearing about it for the first time.”

“Good heavens, even if you’re not a martial artist, how can you not know the Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family! My, my!”

“I am a martial artist though.”

“Huh?”

“I am a martial artist. I’m a descendant of the Guangdong Wei Family.”

“Guangdong Wei Family?”

“Yes.”

“Guangdong Wei Family… It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a family.”

Wei Yan-ho frowned.

“You said you were a martial artist, but you don’t even know the Guangdong Wei Family?”

“I have no reason to know such a trivial family.”

“Trivial! I’m hearing about the Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family for the first time! How can you dismiss the Guangdong Wei Family while pushing forward a family I’ve never heard of or seen!”

“Never heard of or seen? Good heavens! This fellow has a loose mouth and speaks carelessly! To disrespect the Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family of history and tradition!”

The jade emitted intense light.

“Anyway, I’ve never heard of it.”

“I’ve never heard of your family either.”

“Never heard of it! We’re quite famous in Guangdong!”

“Guangdong? Guangdong… Wasn’t there the Iron Energy Gate in Guangdong?”

“Iron Energy Gate?”

“That’s right!”

Wei Yan-ho laughed incredulously and said.

“Are you perhaps referring to the Iron Energy Gate that disappeared two hundred years ago?”

“…Two hundred years?”

“Yes.”

“Two hundred years? Did you just say two hundred years?”

Wei Yan-ho answered with full courtesy.

“Since you’re in a ghostly state, your hearing might not be good, but yes, it’s been two hundred years since it was destroyed.”

“Then… then… when did the Blood Sand Great War occur!”

“Three hundred years ago.”

“Th-th-three hundred years!”

The jade’s despairing voice rang thunderously through the cave.

“H-how did this happen!”

Wei Yan-ho listened to that sound and let out a deep sigh.

Of course, what fateful encounter, what damned frozen fateful encounter.