CLS-Chapter 87

Chapter 87

“A sword?”

“Yes.”

Ha Dae-bung was slightly surprised by Wei Yan-ho’s words, but without hesitation, he called to his subordinate.

“Sword.”

When the sword from his waist was passed to Ha Dae-bung, he offered it to Wei Yan-ho.

“Here it is.”

Wei Yan-ho took the sword, drew it from its sheath and handed the scabbard to Ha Dae-bung, then swung the sword a few times.

“The feeling is strange.”

Since it wasn’t his beloved sword that he always used during training, the weight felt different. But what could he do? His sword hadn’t come out of his travel pack even once since leaving the cave.

If he had known this would happen, he would have brought it, but for the lazy Wei Yan-ho to anticipate the situation and carry a heavy sword was impossible.

“Let’s do this quickly, quickly.”

Wei Yan-ho swung the sword a few times and stepped forward.

The black-robed man who had been quietly watching this scene narrowed his eyes.

He wasn’t watching this ridiculous spectacle out of any special mercy.

It was quite the opposite.

‘He dodged it.’

His sword advanced without presence. That meant it was impossible to predict and dodge when the sword strike was unleashed.

Others might have found it awkward to see him slowly close the distance and suddenly draw his sword to swing, but in the black-robed man’s mind, everything had been calculated.

Yet he had evaded it.

Though he had fallen backward in his chair to the floor, the result was that he had perfectly avoided his sword strike.

“Attack together.”

His judgment was quick and accurate.

If someone could dodge his sword strike with their bare body, he couldn’t estimate what power they might display when armed. To reduce variables, it was important not to underestimate the opponent.

Ordinary martial artists wouldn’t have concluded to gang up on a child younger than themselves, but they only valued efficiency and didn’t care about things like face.

All five masked men who had entered the Golden Flower Hall approached Wei Yan-ho.

“You, you cowards!”

Jin So-ah shouted angrily, but Ha Dae-bung grabbed him and pulled him back.

“Wait a moment! Right now those bastards are being cowardly, ganging up!”

“Young master being nearby would be more of a hindrance.”

Ha Dae-bung cleanly suppressed Jin So-ah’s resistance and retreated far back.

‘Good, he’s quick on the uptake.’

Being a merchant, his calculations were fast. Having already seen Wei Yan-ho cause chaos at the Silver River Arena, Ha Dae-bung seemed to know that they wouldn’t be of particular help to Wei Yan-ho.

‘Things keep getting more complicated…’

He had just planned to roughly win some money and leave, but things kept getting tangled. At times like this, it was better to resolve everything quickly to get a bit more rest time.

“Not coming? Then should I go? It’s bothersome to move, so it would be nice if you came over here.”

As soon as those words ended, the black-robed men surrounded Wei Yan-ho.

Though they maintained sufficient distance, the very fact created a sense of intimidation.

Wei Yan-ho grimaced at the gloomy killing intent he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

“Ugh, so sticky.”

While their strength couldn’t dare be compared to Baek Mu-han, the sticky killing intent that made people somehow anxious was enough to irritate Wei Yan-ho.

“Haaam.”

Wei Yan-ho yawned loudly and looked ahead.

As Wei Yan-ho opened his mouth, the black-robed men pointing their swords instantly closed the distance without sound.

And…

Without a single sound of air being cut, swords thrust in like child’s play.

Though they didn’t look threatening because they made no sound, the actual speed of the swords thrusting in was fast enough to make observers gasp in shock.

But Wei Yan-ho still yawned and, without closing his wide-open mouth, casually swung the sword in his right hand like child’s play.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

With five clean metallic sounds, all five black-robed men who had been thrusting toward Wei Yan-ho retreated far back and exchanged glances in confusion.

‘The openings disappeared instantly.’

No matter how he looked, Wei Yan-ho was full of openings right now. When they attacked, his entire body seemed so full of openings that they had trouble deciding where to strike.

But the moment their swords were about to touch his body, as if by magic, there was nowhere visible to strike on Wei Yan-ho’s body.

‘This is incomprehensible.’

But even if it was incomprehensible, nothing would change. The order they had received was to follow the Black Earth Branch Leader and prepare for any possible situations.

Especially if a young master who might become an obstacle proved threatening, they had received orders to eliminate him without fail. They had followed him to this gambling house for exactly that reason.

Understanding that there are times when you must use a cow-slaughtering knife to cut a chicken, they had followed without question. If not for this situation, they would have felt their pride hurt by facing a young man.

‘We did well to come.’

“Abandon any thoughts of contempt.”

Though his thoroughly trained subordinates wouldn’t have such thoughts, the black-robed man rallied them once more.

“Carelessness doesn’t cause failure. Rather than making excuses, it would be better to bite your tongue.”

“Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded while listening to the voices around him.

“Saying you were careless isn’t an excuse. Saying you were careless is proving how stupid you were. If you’re someone with two lives, you might be able to afford carelessness. But since both you and I have only one life each, don’t even think about carelessness in your dreams.”

“I got beaten terribly back then…”

When he had said his master seemed to have two lives since he lived even after dying, he had been beaten all over his body with stone fists. Thinking of that time, he felt a renewed ache throughout his body.

“I’m the one with two lives.”

Having survived after taking that much beating, it wouldn’t be wrong to say he had two lives.

“You should let me be careless while telling me not to be careless.”

Who was it that would beat people regardless of whether they were sleeping or awake, yet now spoke of not being careless? If he was careless, he’d get beaten by those stone fists and suffer for three days.

At least when getting beaten by stone fists, he was fortunate.

Later, when his master took up the sword, he really cried out in agony.

When getting beaten by fists, pleas for mercy poured from his mouth like a waterfall, but when the sword was drawn, he didn’t even have time to say such things.

“Ugh…”

Wei Yan-ho shuddered as he recalled the terrible memory.

Anyway, since these were also martial artists with an attitude of not being careless, he felt like properly facing them.

‘How long has it been?’

It seemed like the first time he’d drawn a real sword since leaving the cave.

Holding the sword, he felt his mind stabilizing. Though it was a sword he hated to hold even unto death when in the cave, having never let it leave his hand even once during five years, it now felt like part of his body.

“Strike!”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes sank low as he watched the black-robed men charging toward him.

Wei Yan-ho’s sword slowly moved toward the middle guard.

Middle guard stance.

The most basic of basics that sword users must learn first.

As he assumed the middle guard stance, a blade-like energy began emanating from Wei Yan-ho’s body.

The black-robed man instinctively felt something was wrong.

Wei Yan-ho without a sword and Wei Yan-ho with a sword were completely different people.

They should have realized this fact a bit sooner.

“Don’t be obsessed with techniques.”

“I know.”

Wei Yan-ho gripped his sword, recalling his master’s words that seemed to echo in his ears.

First was Unmoved Heart.

One must not let their heart waver just because the opponent’s sword approaches. Only by holding the sword with an ice-cold heart can one deal with all situations.

Next was to put one’s heart into the sword.

A sword is just a sword.

One shouldn’t rely on mere metal, but if you don’t put yourself into that metal, true swordsmanship doesn’t begin. The paradox of swordsmanship is not relying on it, yet believing in it.

Next was the head, not the heart.

Optimal sword strikes, optimal distribution.

Perfect swordsmanship was created from cold reason.

Wei Yan-ho’s sword went whoong as it rang out, then began slowly swaying left and right.

Whooong.

Wei Yan-ho’s sword, which had been slowly swaying, began trembling rapidly, then spread out like rays of light, enveloping Wei Yan-ho’s entire body.

‘What is that?’

The black-robed man was so shocked his heart seemed to leap to his throat.

What kind of miracle was that!

But there was no time to be surprised. Hundreds, thousands of sword shadows surrounding Wei Yan-ho’s body began emitting pure white light, then immediately shot out in all directions.

“Ahhhhh!”

Though he had been thoroughly trained not to scream even in the moment of death, he simply couldn’t keep his mouth shut at this marvel.

The pure white light swords emanating from Wei Yan-ho’s body mercilessly pierced through their bodies.

CRASH!

And the remaining sword shadows shot upward, completely destroying the ceiling of the Golden Flower Hall.

Bright light poured down inside.

Thud.

Thud.

Those who hadn’t even managed to approach Wei Yan-ho’s vicinity all collapsed in place.

Wei Yan-ho lowered the sword he was holding and spoke.

“I’ve severed your energy channels and sealed your martial arts, so you won’t be able to use swords in the future. Whatever lives you’ve lived, from now on you won’t be able to harm others. Pay the price for living by oppressing others with your power.”

Jin So-ah stared with his mouth agape at Wei Yan-ho speaking solemnly.

Did that person have such a side to him?

Wei Yan-ho spun the sword around and tilted his head as if dissatisfied. Then he looked up at the sky.

Looking at the ceiling that had been blown open, Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Master said to reach a realm unbound by the sword, but I’m still far from it.”

Since it wasn’t his beloved sword, the sword shadows didn’t move as freely as he thought. Worried that someone might get hurt, he had shot all the remaining sword strikes toward the ceiling, resulting in this mess.

It was fortunate that no one seemed injured, but if there had been a scholar living as a tenant in the upper floor, it would have been truly regrettable.

“The, the ceiling…”

As Gang Cheon-rip foamed at the mouth, Wei Yan-ho spoke with an apologetic face.

“Please collect the repair costs from over there. Though it wasn’t intentional, I’m sorry.”

“Grrrrgh.”

Finally, Gang Cheon-rip foamed at the mouth and collapsed, causing Wei Yan-ho to shake his head.

This matter also needed to be resolved, but it wasn’t important right now.

Looking at the black-robed men crawling on the floor, Wei Yan-ho frowned.

‘Something feels familiar.’

Looking back on his life, there should have been no opportunity to witness Dark Sword techniques, yet it felt strangely familiar.

“Well, I’ll find out someday.”

Such people weren’t the type to answer just because you asked.

He knew well from his master how tenacious those who used Dark Sword techniques were. To open the mouths of such people, you had to torture them severely, but Wei Yan-ho knew he didn’t have the temperament for such things.

Rather than waste energy, it was better to give up even if he was a bit curious.

It was bothersome too.

Wei Yan-ho looked at them, then raised his head.

“Eek?”

Gwak Do-san, who made eye contact with Wei Yan-ho, was startled and stepped back.

“Ah, so…”

Wei Yan-ho scratched the back of his head.

“Who did you say you were going to kill?”