Chapter 10

A dull thud echoed.

The bandit, who had been screaming in agony, was struck on the head by something blunt and immediately lost consciousness.

The one who had knocked him out was a slender, middle-aged man.

Tap. Tap.

Using the sheath of his sword rather than his fingers, the man sealed the bandit’s acupoints to stop the bleeding.

It was an extraordinary display of skill.

To perform acupuncture through an object instead of directly with one’s fingers was impossible unless one’s control over internal qi had reached an exceptional level.

Yet after subduing the bandit so effortlessly, the middle-aged man’s attention wasn’t on him at all.

Instead, his gaze remained fixed beyond the crowd that had already begun filling the marketplace once more.

“As expected! Uncle! I can’t believe the Fox was captured so easily!”

Running up excitedly to the man was a beautiful young lady well past the age of twenty.

Unlike an ordinary noblewoman, however, her temples were noticeably developed, and her eyes burned with intensity.

It was obvious she belonged to the martial world.

Normally, the middle-aged man would have indulged his beloved niece’s enthusiasm.

Today, however, he couldn’t.

His thoughts were elsewhere.

Realizing this only after watching him for a while, the young woman quietly handled the aftermath herself.

She handed the unconscious “Fox” over to members of their family who had just arrived and instructed others to retrieve the horse he had been riding.

Only then did the middle-aged man let out a long sigh.

“Ha… There truly are countless extraordinary people beneath the heavens. I never imagined I’d witness a sword like that in a place like this.”

Now that her uncle had finally spoken, she immediately seized the opportunity.

“What happened? No… what exactly did you see?”

Her questions poured out like the chirping of a sparrow.

Only then did the middle-aged man smile gently, returning to his usual warm demeanor.

“I saw the sword of the Sword King.”

“…What?”

The unexpected answer left her utterly bewildered.

The Sword King’s sword?

What did that even mean?

She couldn’t make sense of it.

The middle-aged man, however, offered no further explanation.

Even he wasn’t completely certain.

Or rather…

Even if he were certain, that would present its own problem.

Someone of his own standing simply wasn’t qualified to approach such an individual.

At the very least, one of the family’s elders would have to do so.

Otherwise, they might unknowingly commit a serious discourtesy.

Considering that the Yu Clan was one of the Ten Great Clans of the Kingdom of Kang, such caution seemed unbelievable.

Yet that only emphasized how incredible the sword he had witnessed truly was.

After all…

Who was the Sword King?

He was one of the absolute masters representing the Kingdom of Kang.

One of the Sixteen Heavens, the highest pillars of the righteous martial world.

Together with the Sword Sovereign of the unorthodox factions and the Demonic Sword of the Blood Cult, he was considered one of the three greatest swordsmen in the world.

The middle-aged man, Yu Chung, had once been fortunate enough to witness the Sword King’s sword demonstration.

The impact of that memory had stayed with him ever since.

That was why he recognized it.

For a fleeting instant…

In the sword that had severed the Fox’s hand…

He had seen traces of the Sword King’s swordsmanship.

“We’ll meet again someday.”

If someone possessed such a sword and was active somewhere within the Kingdom of Kang or nearby…

The chances were high.

Suppressing his regret at being unable to approach the mysterious swordsman, Yu Chung quietly turned and left.

“Here it is! What do you think? Not bad, right?”

The little girl looked so proud that Jang Il couldn’t help smiling as he nodded.

She wasn’t exaggerating.

The warehouse lacked the stale smell common to old storage buildings.

Fresh straw had recently been spread across the floor, making it look surprisingly comfortable for sleeping.

Most importantly, it was larger than many guest rooms.

She hadn’t lied when she said a horse could fit inside.

The only drawbacks were that the door had clearly been broken and repaired several times, making it unreliable, and the gaps created by age allowed insects and cold drafts inside.

Autumn was gradually approaching.

Those weren’t insignificant problems.

Still, Jang Il said nothing.

Sleeping beside his horse would help preserve body heat.

For the price, this place was more than acceptable.

Seeing the satisfied look on his face, the girl sighed with relief.

“I’m glad you like it. Is there anything else you need?”

“I’d like to buy some travel rations. Do you happen to have any?”

“Yes. My mother prepared some just in case. Will two geun be enough?”

“That’s plenty.”

Travel rations consisted of powdered grains.

Wheat, rice, barley, beans, and other grains were dried, ground into flour, and mixed together.

Travelers often relied on it as a meal substitute.

Because it was dried, it was difficult to eat without water.

On the other hand, it kept for a long time and was extremely convenient to carry.

Whenever cooking had been difficult during military campaigns, Jang Il had often survived on travel rations.

For someone who had to journey alone over a great distance, it was ideal.

Those with more money often purchased dried meat as well.

But frugality had become second nature to Jang Il.

Travel rations alone were enough.

After hearing how Jang Il had rescued her daughter earlier, the girl’s mother thanked him warmly.

Even so, she charged him only ten additional copper coins for the rations.

Had she known the entire story, she probably wouldn’t have accepted any payment at all.

But the frightened girl hadn’t been able to explain everything.

The horse snorted contentedly as it chewed through its dried feed outside the warehouse.

Jang Il sat cross-legged nearby.

For the first time since beginning his journey, he immersed himself in circulating his internal energy.

By the time he finished his breathing exercise…

The evening sun was already setting.

Just then, the young girl brought him dinner.

For a meal costing only ten copper coins, it was surprisingly generous.

There was a towering bowl of mixed-grain rice.

Pickled vegetables.

And stir-fried vegetables cooked in pork fat.

It was more than enough to satisfy him.

After finishing every last bite, Jang Il finally led his horse inside the warehouse.

Leaning back against the pile of straw, he muttered quietly,

“Today makes… fifty-two days.”

The date he mentioned referred to the time that had passed since he had returned from death.

It also meant…

That fifty-two years had passed since the Jang Il of his previous life had awakened there.

In his previous life, Jang Il had remained in the military for a full thirteen years.

He had left only when he was nearly forty.

At that time, the Kingdom of Yao had done everything possible to persuade him to stay.

The reason was simple.

Not only had his accomplishments been immense, but his very presence benefited the kingdom in countless ways.

In fact, he had risen to the position of General.

His influence within the army had become extraordinary.

The conditions Yao offered him were unbelievably generous.

Yet Jang Il ignored every one of them and insisted on leaving the military.

The reason was simple.

“I’ve already gained everything the battlefield has to offer. Beyond this, too much becomes as bad as too little.“

The killing intent experienced between life and death was like sunlight nurturing the flower known as the Killing Sword.

But everything had its limits.

Too much sunlight eventually withered and killed the flower.

If one failed to realize this balance…

The Killing Sword would cease to be merely a tool.

Instead, it would become the master and gradually consume its wielder.

That was why so many practitioners of the Killing Sword eventually became enemies of the martial world.

For that reason, Jang Il had left the army without regret.

“Now… it’s time to refine this Killing Sword.”

Once he completely mastered it…

He would finally obtain the Plum Blossom Single Sword.

In other words, he would reach the realm his second master, Moon Kang, had achieved after breaking a thousand swords.

“I wonder…”

“What kind of sword exists at that level?”

At present, he had mastered the Three Plum Blossom Swords.

Even that had left him without an equal on the battlefield.

He was confident that even throughout the martial world of Yao, there were fewer than ten people capable of standing against him.

His confidence stemmed from one fact.

The Killing Sword shone brightest in actual combat.

Unless his opponent belonged to the Blood Cult or another faction accustomed to bathing in blood…

Defeating him would be nearly impossible.

When Jang Il finally returned to his sect after thirteen long years…

He couldn’t help being astonished.

The sect had grown to more than ten times its former size.

Its number of disciples had expanded just as dramatically.

It had long surpassed the level of a minor martial sect.

Curious, Jang Il hurried inside.

Before long, he understood why.

“Uncle-Master! I’d heard rumors about you, but I never imagined you’d return so soon!”

The one welcoming him was a middle-aged man.

He was the third disciple of Jang Il’s senior brother.

Five years older than Jang Il himself.

Ordinarily, he should have belonged to the senior generation.

For that reason, Jang Il never treated him arrogantly despite technically outranking him within the sect hierarchy.

“I wondered if I’d come to the wrong place. Everything has changed so much. But seeing you explains it. I never expected you’d reach the Peak Realm.”

“Haha. It’s all thanks to you, Uncle-Master.”

The disciple explained that not only he, but also Jang Il’s senior brother Moon Chu and all of his disciples had reached the Peak Realm.

And according to them…

It was all because of Jang Il.

Seeing Jang Il’s puzzled expression, the disciple continued.

“Master always said that without you, Uncle-Master, Grandmaster’s Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze would never have been recovered. You also found many precious spiritual herbs that greatly helped all of us.”

“Ah… If it’s the Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze, then that makes sense.”

Though it couldn’t compare to the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques, the Thirteen Forms of the Gentle Breeze was still an exceptional sword art.

It embodied the principles of the Living Sword that Moon Kang had comprehended.

Its level rivaled the signature techniques of the great righteous sects.

More importantly…

Despite its profound depth, it remained highly practical in real combat.

The technique perfectly suited Moon Chu’s temperament.

Considering that, it was no surprise that both Moon Chu and his disciples had all reached the Peak Realm.

Following his disciple’s guidance, Jang Il finally met his senior brother again after many long years.

Rather than appearing older, Moon Chu looked even healthier than when they had parted.

It filled Jang Il with genuine happiness.

“I’m truly relieved to see that you’re in such good health.”

“You heartless fool. How could you go thirteen years without returning to the sect even once?”

“Haha. We exchanged letters, didn’t we?”

“…Sigh.”

Moon Chu was left speechless.

He had received only a handful of those so-called letters.

Most of the letters he himself had sent were returned undelivered because Jang Il had spent every day wandering from one battlefield to another.

The only reason the kingdom had even bothered returning them was out of respect for Jang Il’s military achievements.

Scratching his cheek awkwardly at his senior brother’s dumbfounded expression, Jang Il smiled.

“I won’t be returning to the battlefield anymore. I’ll probably remain at the sect from now on.”

“I’ll be in your care.”

Perhaps those words reminded Moon Chu of the young Jang Il he had once known.

Without another word…

He smiled quietly.

And wholeheartedly welcomed home his extraordinarily talented junior brother.