Welcome back, Hwasan Geomhyeop. (2)
What is the most important thing when receiving a guest?
The answer to this question may vary depending on the person. Some might say it’s the heart, while others may argue it’s manners. Some might even claim it’s a comfortable bed.
However, it seemed that those who had become accustomed to living atop this barren mountain peak had a slightly different mindset from the ordinary.
“Drink uuuuup!”
“Meat! Meeeeaaaaaaaat!”
“Ugh. It’s not rabbit meat! It’s pork! Pork!”
“Hahaha! Have another drink!”
The scene unfolding here was one of Taoist monks, dressed in their robes but with their tops half off, indulging in alcohol and meat in a manner that was almost unbearable to witness with open eyes.
The only fortunate aspect was that, being high up on the mountain, there were no eyes around to witness this horrific scene.
The disciples of Hwasan, no longer needing to mind their manners, drank aggressively and tore into the meat as if they intended to release all the pent-up frustration from the past three years in this single moment.
As soon as the food they had ordered in advance was brought out, it was devoured, and this cycle repeated several times, forcing the disciples to take turns running down the mountain to bring back more food.
At the center of this boisterous drinking scene, Tang Gunak raised his glass quietly as he faced Chung Myung. In response, Chung Myung grinned and lifted his bottle.
Tang Gunak’s expression seemed quite relaxed.
He had already confirmed more than enough of Chung Myung’s growth, and he had tested his hidden techniques in a sparring match that was akin to real combat. So, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the arduous journey from the Yangtze River to this place had already been worthwhile.
“How is it?”
“What are you referring to?”
“Did you confirm that we haven’t just been idling away for the past three years?”
“…Hmmm.”
Tang Gunak furrowed his brow, seemingly deep in thought, as if pondering what to say.
“Indeed.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve experienced many swords, but that’s the first time I’ve seen a sword like that.”
“Hmmm.”
“Now I fully understand how Hwasan’s sword was once able to dominate the world.”
“Hmmm.”
“Even if you were to search the world right now, there wouldn’t be many who could match you in swordsmanship.”
“Hmmmm!”
“You’ve gone through a lot. No matter how talented one might be, it wouldn’t have been possible without blood, sweat, and effort. You deserve praise.”
With Tang Gunak’s words lifting him up, Chung Myung’s chin rose higher and higher.
“…At this rate, he’s going to end up looking at the sky.”
“He’s already looking at it, Sasuk.”
“Idiot.”
Baek Cheon and Jo Geol clicked their tongues, and Yu Iseol criticized him, but Chung Myung, whose chin was now lifted triumphantly, showed no signs of lowering it.
“And also…”
Tang Gunak’s sharp gaze shifted to Five Swords sitting around Chung Myung.
“…It seems it wasn’t just you, Chung Myung, who has grown stronger.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Tang Gunak’s lips.
“Enough with the flattery.”
Chung Myung, who had somehow lowered his chin, spoke as he looked at Tang Gunak.
“I don’t think you’re the one to be saying that, Lord Tang.”
“Me? And why is that?”
“That final move.”
As soon as those words left Chung Myung’s mouth, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Tang Gunak. Everyone had been curious about that final move.
“You created it, didn’t you?”
“…How did you know?”
“Well, the reason is simple. Hmm. It was entirely different from what I had seen up until then…”
Seeing the slightly suspicious look in Tang Gunak’s eyes, Chung Myung grinned and continued.
“And it was a bit clumsy.”
“Khhmm!”
Tang Gunak let out a loud cough and took a swig of alcohol as if his insides were burning. In truth, he seemed more embarrassed than anything.
“Clumsy?”
“That?”
Baek Cheon’s eyes widened as he looked at Chung Myung. Even Yu Iseol, who rarely showed her emotions over trivial matters, stared at Chung Myung with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Has this guy lost his mind?’
And it was understandable.
What Tang Gunak showed at the end was astounding, even to them. Yet, to call that move clumsy?
However, instead of looking offended, Tang Gunak repeatedly cleared his throat, almost as if he felt a bit guilty.
“Was it that obvious?”
“Quite a lot, actually…”
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped his lips. Seeing such an unusual expression on Tang Gunak’s face, Tang Soso watched with fascination, unable to take her eyes off him.
Chung Myung asked bluntly.
“It’s unfinished, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I figured as much.”
Tang Gunak let out a deep sigh. To put it bluntly, that move wasn’t ready to be used in actual combat.
“Why do you say it’s unfinished? Its power was truly immense.”
Baek Cheon, unable to contain his curiosity, interrupted their conversation.
Tang Gunak readily answered him.
“Because power isn’t everything.”
“…Pardon?”
“That move consumes too much inner energy. After using it once, you’d be so exhausted that continuing the fight would be difficult.”
“But isn’t there a saying, ‘One decisive blow to kill’? If that one strike can definitely take down the opponent, then…”
“But it didn’t take him down, did it?”
“…N-No, well, that’s…”
Baek Cheon stammered, unable to continue his words.
That’s right. Yes, it didn’t take him down. But that’s because…
‘How the hell am I supposed to phrase this?’
Is it that this bastard is abnormal for blocking it, not that the move was flawed?
Or maybe if it had been a bit more refined, it might have taken his head off?
Neither of these would be a good answer.
“It wasn’t precise enough to be a one-hit kill, and while it wasn’t a one-hit kill, it consumed an enormous amount of inner energy. So something like this…”
“Is like an empty cart making a lot of noise?”
“…”
At Chung Myung’s words, Tang Gunak’s eyebrow twitched.
“Huh? Not that? Then maybe it’s like a ‘pretty but tasteless apricot’?”
Crack!
The wine cup in Tang Gunak’s hand shattered instantly.
“Hm… It seems that Hwasan’s wine cups aren’t made of good material. I suppose I should tell the Tang clan to send some new ones.”
‘Even if it had been made of iron, it would have shattered…’
However, no one voiced this thought out loud. After all, even if the Tang clan served poison, it would be wise to accept it.
Tang Gunak, who had been trembling, finally let out a deep sigh.
“It’s incomplete. And I don’t know when it will be finished.”
“Ah, I see. So you used that incomplete and dangerous technique in a sparring match?”
Twitch.
Tang Gunak’s eyebrow twitched once more.
“…Because it’s incomplete, I used it in a sparring match. If it were complete, could I have dared to use it on you? I wouldn’t want to kill a hard-earned friend.”
“Even if it were complete, I don’t think I’d die…”
“Make bold claims, and you might lose your head one day.”
“I’ve made bold claims and my head’s still intact.”
“…”
“…”
Tang Gunak and Chung Myung glared at each other as if they could kill with their eyes. The people around, feeling the tension, turned their gazes to Tang Soso, silently urging her to do something. She let out a deep sigh.
“Stop it, both of you! You’re not children!”
“Cough.”
“Tsk.”
Only then did Tang Gunak and Chung Myung turn their heads away from each other and gulped down their drinks straight from the bottle.
At that moment, Im Sobyeong, who had been silently watching, clicked his tongue.
“Honestly, those who wield swords… what a bunch.”
This was Hwasan, where the head of the Tang clan and a Taoist from Hwasan Sect were being criticized by a bandit.
“Indeed.”
As if trying to change the atmosphere, Tang Gunak spoke up again.
“It’s true, it’s not yet a move that can be used in sparring or actual combat. I’ve been too greedy. I’m considering whether it needs to be more refined, even at the cost of power.”
“Well, is there really a need for that?”
“Hm?”
Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.
“The excessive consumption of inner energy isn’t because of the sheer power, but rather because the way the inner energy is pushed in is too forceful, isn’t it?”
“The method?”
“Yes. It involves pulling through rotation, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then, instead of condensing and exploding it, you should rotate the energy within the blade itself from the start. The most energy is consumed when something that was still suddenly starts spinning.”
“Hmm?”
Tang Gunak’s eyes sparkled. He seemed to have caught onto something.
“…Aligning the direction of the weapon with the flow of energy… That’s fundamental. One of the most basic principles. But…”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung nodded as if he knew exactly what Tang Gunak was going to say next.
“It’s such a basic principle that when aiming for advancement, it’s naturally forgotten.”
“…I see. To think I made such an obvious mistake.”
Of course, it wasn’t as simple as Chung Myung made it sound. Making the energy rotate within a fixed blade is far more difficult than the current method. However, if it could be properly executed, it would undoubtedly reduce the consumption of inner energy significantly.
‘It might even increase the power.’
If that could be achieved, the Twelve Flying Daggers would no longer be just the Twelve Flying Daggers.
‘Thirteen Daggers… No, let’s just stick with Twelve.’
What a terribly lousy name…
“That’s right. Yes, that could work.”
As Tang Gunak muttered to himself and nodded as if he understood, Chung Myung started speaking again.
“It’s not just that which is unfinished, right?”
“Hm?”
When Tang Gunak pretended not to understand, Chung Myung grinned.
“The original idea was to have all the flying daggers on the ground soar up simultaneously, wasn’t it?”
“…Were you a Tang clan member in a past life?”
He wasn’t a Tang in his past life, but it was something similar. When he went to the Tang clan, the family head would come running out barefoot to stop him from causing trouble.
“That’s right. That would be the completed form. But… with my current skills, it’s impossible to achieve.”
“If you can reduce the consumption of inner energy, it’ll certainly be possible.”
“…You think so?”
“Absolutely.”
A vivid image formed in Chung Myung’s mind.
A single flying dagger soaring with tremendous force, accompanied by hidden weapons and eleven other flying daggers attacking from all directions.
That would certainly be a move akin to a dream.
And the day that technique reveals itself to the world, another Dark Sovereign [암존 – Amjon, as Tang Bo] will emerge.
“But…”
“Huh?”
“Why did you suddenly decide to create a new technique?”
“Hmmm.”
At Chung Myung’s question, Tang Gunak smiled.
“Of course, creating a new technique when one hasn’t even fully mastered what they already have is overambitious.”
“…”
Chung Myung didn’t say anything.
There are two reasons.
The first reason is exactly as Tang Gunak said.
Even Tang Bo, who was a martial artist superior to the current Tang Gunak, never devised a new technique for the Twelve Flying Daggers. Thus, for Tang Gunak to create a new technique indeed seemed excessive.
However, the second reason, which was left unsaid, was the exact opposite.
The new technique Tang Gunak had created had elements that clearly surpassed the existing techniques of the Twelve Daggers he knew.
“But if you ask why I insisted on creating this technique, there is only one answer.”
“What is it?”
“Because it’s necessary.”
Tang Gunak shrugged his shoulders as he continued.
“Tang clan’s flying daggers and hidden weapons techniques are certainly excellent martial arts. But… they are clearly lacking when it comes to dealing with masters who could be called ‘absolute.’ Especially considering the nature of flying daggers, where the more you throw them, the more limited the number of techniques you can use, that problem becomes even more pronounced.”
“That’s true.”
“It would be nice if we could retrieve the daggers, but against an absolute master, there wouldn’t be much opportunity to do so.”
Chung Myung slowly nodded.
This was indeed something Tang Bo had worried about. He had even considered attaching a tough silver thread to the end of the flying daggers. However, he abandoned the idea because it would interfere with the trajectory of the daggers.
“While I was constantly contemplating and training, I saw the flying daggers scattered on the ground and thought: why should I only use the daggers in my hand? The hidden weapons scattered in the sky are not the only ones that are mine, and the dagger in my hand is not the only dagger that belongs to me.”
“Ah…”
Tang Gunak coughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed.
“Well, that’s how it started… but it’s still not working well. It’s embarrassing to show something incomplete.”
“No.”
Chung Myung shook his head earnestly.
“It was incredible.”
“…”
“Truly.”
Seeing him so earnest, a small smile appeared on Tang Gunak’s lips.
“…Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Chung Myung filled Tang Gunak’s cup. Then Tang Gunak took the bottle and filled Chung Myung’s cup in return.
“Let’s drink.”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung happily emptied his cup.
‘Moving forward…’
Over the past three years, Hwasan had certainly gained a lot. But Hwasan wasn’t the only one who had been striving.
The descendant of the Tang clan was creating a new technique that even Tang Bo in the past couldn’t make. It was still incomplete, but someday this technique, too, would be perfected like the other twelve.
If Tang Gunak couldn’t complete it, then someone who followed in his footsteps, and another after that, would gradually perfect it over time.
That’s how martial arts evolve.
‘Isn’t that right?’
Chung Myung asked lightly to a person who came to mind, smiling as he looked at Tang Gunak. Then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, his eyes widened slightly.
“Oh, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“Hm? What is it?”
Chung Myung chuckled playfully and asked.
“If it’s about running out of flying daggers, why do you only use twelve of them? Is there a particular reason?”
“…What?”
“Just because it’s called the Twelve Flying Daggers, doesn’t mean you have to use only twelve daggers, right? Since you already carry so many hidden weapons all over your body, wouldn’t having about twenty-four daggers mean you wouldn’t have to worry about running out?”
“…”
“Even if the ultimate goal is to control twelve daggers at once, it doesn’t mean you have to carry only twelve. There’s nothing wrong with having spares… right?”
“…”
Unlike the playful Chung Myung, Tang Gunak’s face was growing paler and paler.
“…”
Seeing this, Chung Myung also couldn’t continue smiling.
…Excuse me?
Wait, don’t tell me…
You didn’t think of that? Seriously?
– Wow, I really didn’t think of that.
After all… …It seemed that what continued through the lineage wasn’t just willpower.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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