CLS-Chapter 210

Chapter 210

“Hm?”

As Wei Yan-ho turned his head slightly, a man dressed in Daoist robes was approaching him with a broad smile across his face.

‘Not Mount Hua?’

Though he wore Daoist robes, the man’s attire was not Mount Hua’s uniform. It was different from the clothes that Gong Mu-jin and Lee Seol-hwa always wore.

Black Daoist robes with a Taiji symbol embroidered on the right chest…

‘Wudang?’

Considering the Daoist cap he wore on his head, this person’s affiliation was definitely Wudang. Even Wei Yan-ho, who knew little about the martial world, knew that no other Daoist sect besides Wudang used the Taiji as their emblem.

“Wudang?”

“That’s right, young brother.”

“What brings you here?”

The man smiled warmly.

“I wasn’t trying to spy on your training, so don’t be so stiff. I also don’t enjoy commotion, so I was training up there and was coming down. In the process, I happened to see your training, so please forgive me.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded.

While it was taboo in the martial world to spy on others’ training, this wasn’t really a place meant for training, and he couldn’t tell passersby not to come this way because he was practicing.

“You seem to be having difficulties. May I help you a bit?”

“You’re quite meddlesome.”

“Haha, that’s what Daoists are like. What would be the point of becoming a Daoist if one wouldn’t help others?”

“Isn’t the Dao fundamentally about wu wei—non-action and naturalness?”

“That’s elementary thinking. Prejudices about Daoism are truly hard to shed. Simply put, those who isolate themselves from humanity to find their own Dao end up rotting away in the mountains. True Dao is about finding one’s path while among people, isn’t it?”

“…It sounds like good words, but I can’t understand a single thing you’re saying.”

“No matter.”

Clang.

The man drew the sword at his side.

“What I’m saying isn’t important. What’s important is that I came to help you.”

“Help?”

“Right now, you’re struggling because you can’t find the middle path between Softness and Hardness, aren’t you? Our Wudang is supreme when it comes to the middle path of those two. I think I could be of help.”

Wei Yan-ho looked at the Daoist with a somewhat dazed expression.

How should he put this feeling?

Even if an ant told an elephant, ‘I’ll teach you what weight means,’ it wouldn’t feel as absurd as this.

“No, I think I’m fine.”

“Hahaha, don’t be so modest. I’m not underestimating you.”

Wei Yan-ho kept his mouth tightly shut, deciding to see what this fool was going to say.

“The fact that you’re here in clothes that aren’t Mount Hua’s uniform means you’re also participating in this martial arts tournament. Someone like that couldn’t be weak. But no matter how strong you are, finding the middle path of Softness and Hardness isn’t easy.”

“…Softness and Hardness?”

Wei Yan-ho let out a deep sigh.

It seemed he’d encountered an idiot.

It was like a master painter contemplating how to capture a mountain in a single stroke, only to have a student from a Daoist academy appear beside him offering to teach how to draw lines.

‘Why are all the martial artists I meet not quite right in the head?’

It was troubling.

Whether all martial artists in this world were slightly touched, or whether only such people gathered around Wei Yan-ho.

“I am Song Hyeon. You must have heard my name.”

“First time hearing it.”

“……”

Song Hyeon looked at Wei Yan-ho with somewhat bewildered eyes.

‘He doesn’t know?’

How could that be?

Who was he? Song Hyeon. Wudang’s greatest rising talent and the senior disciple among the three disciples, wasn’t he?

Setting aside his skills, it made no sense for someone involved in the martial world not to have heard of Wudang’s senior disciple.

‘Is he serious?’

But in Wei Yan-ho’s tone as he looked at him now, there was no mockery. It truly meant he’d never heard of him.

‘He must not have been out in the world for long.’

Such cases existed.

Those who hadn’t been in the martial world long but had trained diligently in their families, quickly gaining fame and recognition for their skills. Such people often had shallow knowledge despite their reputation.

“Haha, it’s fine. My rat-tail fame might not be known. What importance does such a thing have anyway?”

“Listening to you, it seems like nothing in the world is important.”

“Right, right. Ah yes, that’s not wrong either. What in the world is more important or less important? People all pursue their own Dao. Who decides what’s more or less important?”

“Yes. I’ve heard your lofty words well, so could you please leave now since I need to train?”

“Tsk tsk, I’m saying that training is wrong.”

Wei Yan-ho realized something.

There are people in the world who can be reasoned with through words, and there are humans who can’t be reasoned with through words. This human was clearly the latter. At minimum, if one was human, they should understand words, but unfortunately, this one was the type who couldn’t understand words well.

“Now, watch carefully.”

“……”

Now he was actually holding his sword properly and starting to demonstrate in front of him.

‘What a variety of characters.’

He’d thought that someone from Wudang would be a bit more serious, but people are all the same it seems. Origin isn’t important—the person is important. In fact, even Wei Yan-ho was like that.

Who would have imagined that someone like Wei Yan-ho would emerge from the Guangdong Wei Family, which valued chivalry and righteousness?

“Now, look! This is Softness.”

Song Hyeon’s sword began to move softly.

“And this is Hardness.”

The sword that had been moving softly like flowing water suddenly changed direction and shot swiftly toward Wei Yan-ho. Like a carp swimming underwater leaping out of the water.

Song Hyeon’s sword stopped right in front of Wei Yan-ho’s face.

“Do you understand?”

“Could you move that away?”

“Haha, sorry if that made you uncomfortable. There’s no better way to understand clearly. And this is the middle path.”

Song Hyeon’s sword flew toward Wei Yan-ho again. His sword seemed to move very slowly, but it was filled with inner energy. A strike that appeared soft on the outside but contained strong power within.

Wei Yan-ho sighed deeply while watching that sword.

“Yeah yeah, I understand well.”

“Do you really understand?”

“Yes. Well, I get it.”

When Wei Yan-ho answered while picking his ear, Song Hyeon’s face became slightly uncomfortable.

“Listen, I understand your feelings, but this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. Don’t regret it later and learn properly. I’m not someone you can meet so easily.”

It was arrogant talk, but it wasn’t exactly wrong.

The general assessment was that among the Nine Sects, the only rising talents who could compare to Song Hyeon were Mu-jin and Mu-san of Shaolin, called the Twin Stars, and Mount Hua’s Clear Sword. If one had to pick the best among them, anyone would choose Song Hyeon as the top.

There was even a saying that if the Orthodox Alliance had Wei San-ho, the Nine Sects had Song Hyeon.

“Yes. I said I understand.”

But Wei Yan-ho’s reaction was quite lukewarm.

“…Do you really understand?”

“Listen here.”

“Mm?”

“Whether I understand or not, I’ll handle it myself, so could you please leave?”

“What?”

Song Hyeon looked at Wei Yan-ho incredulously, then soon relaxed his expression.

‘If one has eyes but cannot see, there’s nothing more I can do.’

Song Hyeon clicked his tongue pitifully. He’d thought this young man had talent since he was participating in the martial arts tournament as a representative of the Orthodox Alliance, but if he was this blind, there was no way Song Hyeon could help him.

‘The Orthodox Alliance’s level has really declined.’

Song Hyeon, newly curious about the identity of the young man before him, asked.

“Fine. I’ll leave as you wish. But what is your name?”

“Wei Yan-ho.”

“Wei Yan-ho? Is your family by any chance the Guangdong Wei Family?”

“Yes. But why?”

Song Hyeon’s eyes sharpened.

“Oho, so you’re the younger brother of Demon-Slaying Sword Wei San-ho.”

“Well, that’s right.”

When Wei Yan-ho nodded calmly, Song Hyeon grinned.

“My, my. Your brother seems to have little interest in you.”

“What?”

“His younger brother is at this level, yet he didn’t provide guidance? Is there no brotherhood between you?”

Wei Yan-ho sighed deeply.

He’d talked about everyone having their own Dao, so why was he so meddlesome?

“No, that’s enough…”

“Hmm, perhaps Demon-Slaying Sword Wei San-ho’s skills aren’t as great as I’ve heard.”

Suddenly, veins bulged slightly on Wei Yan-ho’s forehead.

“Since you’re Wei San-ho’s younger brother, go and tell him this. That false reputation he’s gained will be shattered by my hands in this martial arts tournament. I never trusted from the start that someone from a small family in Guangdong could possess such skills. Your brother will painfully realize why great sects are great sects.”

Looking at the grinning Song Hyeon, Wei Yan-ho smiled back.

“Hey.”

“…What?”

Song Hyeon’s eyes widened at the sudden informal speech.

“You, have you ever heard this saying?”

Is this bastard crazy?

Song Hyeon’s face began to fill with bewilderment.

“For a crazy bastard, a beating is the medicine.”

“Crazy bastard?”

Song Hyeon began laughing incredulously.

Did this young punk just call him a crazy bastard?

He’d had bewildering experiences before in his life, but the absurdity of this incident seemed to exceed all previous cases combined.

“Young brother, I don’t understand why you’re angry. Of course you’d be proud of your brother, but what I said isn’t really wrong. Your brother’s skills are…”

SMACK!

Song Hyeon’s words couldn’t continue.

Of course not.

A person who’d been smacked in the face with a sword sheath and slammed into the ground couldn’t speak.

“Don’t know?”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Song Hyeon, who was covering his face on the ground unable to even scream, and swung his arms around.

“If you don’t know, you have to be beaten.”

Wei Yan-ho planted his sword in the ground and picked up the sword sheath.

The sound of slaughtering pigs suddenly began echoing through the peaceful training ground of Mount Hua.

***

“…Song Hyeon?”

“That’s right.”

“Could it be… Song Hyeon the True Person?”

“Indeed.”

The Historian’s face began to rot. Song Hyeon the True Person was famous as the foremost of the later generation of Wudang. He was only overshadowed because Wei Yan-ho existed in that era, but if it hadn’t been Wei Yan-ho’s time, he would have been worthy of being a candidate for the title of Greatest Sword Under Heaven.

But he met Wei Yan-ho before he could even bloom.

And that too…

“Was he beaten badly?”

“Mmm…”

The Divine Beggar scratched his cheek pitifully.

“In a way, it was truly unfortunate for Song Hyeon the True Person. If he’d just passed by there, he would have achieved better results in the tournament.”

“……”

“One thing people don’t know well is… Wei Yan-ho is someone who’s been beaten to hell and back.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“How much must Wei Yan-ho have been beaten by the Mad Sword? Wei Yan-ho lived a life where he’d get beaten in a day what other people would get beaten in a lifetime. And…”

The Divine Beggar grinned.

“Someone who’s been beaten a lot knows how to beat others well.”

The Historian’s face twisted miserably.