Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 30

As I made my way toward becoming a Azure Dragon Martial Hall’s disciple, I resolved to refrain from unnecessary robbery and murder. It’s not because I suddenly felt pangs of conscience but rather because I needed to clear my past in order to focus on long-term training after joining the Azure Dragon Martial Hall.

My current goal is neither to make lots of money nor to seek fame. All I need is enough time to hone my martial skills, so it’s crucial to create an environment where I can focus on this one aspect.

I sighed briefly.

“Why would you guys come and mess with my resolution?”

“……”

Five bandits who heard my monologue were trembling as they knelt and lowered their heads.

About half an hour ago.

As soon as these guys found me, they unsheathed their blades, intending to kill. They were typical murderers and robbers, numbering twelve in total. Any ordinary citizen would have been killed without resistance. At least four or five armed guards would be needed to deal with these scoundrels effectively.

However, I used my Thunder Cloud Palm to incapacitate four of them within moments, and then slashed off the arms of three more with a short knife. Although all I had was my bare hands and a small defensive knife, dealing with bandits like these was a piece of cake.

“Arghhh…”

“Spare us…”

Seeing their writhing comrades on the ground, the bandits were petrified and remained kneeling. I glanced at them coldly before speaking.

“I’m contemplating whether to end your worthless lives for good or give you one more chance.”

At that, the bandits were shocked and began to plea with their faces touching the ground.

“Hero… No, my Lord… Please, spare our lives…”

“Spare us…!!”

“We’ve done wrong!!”

I stared at them pensively before saying, “Tell me something useful you know. If I like what I hear, I’ll spare you.”

Killing them would be easy. A single swipe of my Thunder Cloud Palm could roast them like fried chicken. But considering my prior thoughts on restraining myself from murder, I decided to hear them out first.

The bandits desperately racked their brains. Amidst their pondering, a hefty bandit raised his hand and blurted out,

“My Lord! The leader of the Golden Wolf Gang in the neighboring mountain is said to be an exceptionally beautiful woman!”

“……”

“If you were to ‘conquer’ her, then…”

This guy really has hit rock bottom.

I looked at him in disbelief before reaching my hand to his ear. Then, I tore it off with force.

“Splurt!”

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Having his ear torn off raw, the bandit screamed and rolled on the ground, appearing to faint as blood gushed out. Seeing this, the other bandits, who were about to offer some ‘useful information,’ froze like rabbits. I tossed the man’s ear into a nearby stream and growled, “Think carefully. What information would actually be helpful?”

“Uh, my lord… what kind of clue would you like? Please, just a hint…”

“Tell me something about the martial world.”

“Uh…”

The bandits wore a hesitant expression. How would these mere highwaymen have any substantial information about the martial world

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“If you don’t know, never mind.”

Seeing their indecisive faces, I slowly began to raise my killing intent. Clearly, these men were just thugs who killed and stole from anyone they encountered, so I planned to make things simple and just kill them all.

That’s when it happened. A particularly skinny bandit with narrow eyes suddenly shouted,

“My lord!! I do have some valuable information!!”

“What is it?”

“I’ve heard rumors that ‘Soaring Sky Sword Dragon’ Namgung Hwan is staying in a village about 8 li away from here! He’s said to be traveling with his fiancée, although I’m not sure about that part.”

“……!!”

I was genuinely shocked.

‘Soaring Sky Sword Dragon’ Namgung Hwan!

‘Was he here during his youth?’

The title was well-known. Not from my time, but decades later, he would rise to become one of the top 10 greatest martial artists in the world. Namgung Hwan would later lead the powerful faction Anhui province, becoming the head of the Namgung Clan and would later be called as the Sword King.

Even while I was doing my courier work, his presence felt like a towering figure. With just one family, he could exert influence over an entire city and gained a reputation due to his diplomacy and leadership in Anhui province. At the moment, several decades before becoming the clan leader, he seemed to be living as a late-generation figure in his clan.

Intrigued, I asked, “Why would ‘Soaring Sky Sword Dragon’ Namgung Hwan be here?”

“Um… I’ve heard murmurs among the martial artists that he seems to be here to meet someone, but we don’t know much… We heard it from an innkeeper.”

“And you dared to engage in banditry knowing that Namgung Hwan was nearby?”

“Ah, well, that’s…”

The bandits were unable to reply. After all, why would they be afraid of me, a young boy in his teens, compared to the fearsome martial artists like Namgung Hwan? With a dozen armed highwaymen, they could even tackle a convoy of guards.

I chuckled sarcastically and lost myself in thought.

‘I’m curious. Should I take a look at what Soaring Sky Sword Dragon looks like?’

It was just half a day’s distance from where I stood to the place called Azure Dragon Martial Hall, which I had frequented before. I could make it there in less than half a day if I rushed with my powerful internal energy. So I had enough time to meet Namgung Hwan.

“Hey, where is the village that Soaring Sky Sword Dragon is staying?”

“If you cross this ridge and go around Mount Micho, you’ll come to a village called River-Moon (Gangwol) Village.”

“I think I’ve heard of it.”

Gangwol Village wasn’t far from the official road. Rather, it was a medium-sized village situated along the main road that led to the government offices. I’d once taken a nap there, so I knew the place.

I spoke to the bandit who had provided the information.

“Good. Since you’ve given me valuable information, I’ll spare your life. Anything else to add, anyone?”

“We do!”

“Go to Lord Ja’s warehouse, there are precious paintings and books in that place…”

The bandits began frantically telling me all the ‘valuable information’ they knew. Some of it was useless, but I learned about the locations of nearby secret bases, slave markets, how to make contact with kidnappers who abduct and sell children, and that the strongest bandit group in the area was Hyeolrang Chae. It was indeed information fitting of bandits, but I thought it might come in handy someday, so I let it slide for now.

After gathering all the information they offered, I decided to wrap things up.

“It’s time to part ways.”

“Huh?”

Whooosh! Thump!

In a single blow, I killed all the fallen bandits. Then I dashed toward the four thieves who provided me with information. Their faces lit up with hope when they heard they would be spared, but that hope quickly turned to despair. That’s because my short sword was swung at an incredible speed.

“Aaaargh!”

“What in the world, my lord…”

Swish! Swoosh!

The next moment, four heads flew through the air. I landed back on the ground without a single drop of blood on me and looked at the loot. I then took some money from the bandits’ possessions, amounting to more than 20 silver coins.

“Who are you calling your lord?”

I had said I would spare them, but on second thought, I killed them all. Standing amidst a sea of blood, I felt no guilt.

Who would complain about killing such utterly useless murderers? My action would save the lives of innocent people. To be more precise, I killed them simply because I wanted to. With that, I put the silver coins in my bag and started walking.

‘Let’s go to Gangwol Village and see what Soaring Sky Sword Dragon is up to.’

I had a desire to gather information on future martial arts grandmasters.

Tap-tap-tap.

I ran quickly toward Gangwol Village. It took two hours to get there, and by the time I arrived, the sun was setting. Since I had plenty of money, I looked for an inn. I noticed the lights of one on the western side of the village.

The place was bustling…

Gangwol Village was close to the official road and was a hub for logistics, which made it busier than small villages. As soon as I entered the inn, I felt the liveliness and saw a lot of people, including courtesans trying to seduce travelers.

The innkeeper looked surprised when I asked for a room. Understandable, as it’s rare for a young traveler to bring out silver coins so boldly. Still, money talks, and he handed over the room key without much fuss.

While I was at it, I asked the innkeeper, “Is there a famous martial artist staying in this village?”

“Ah… Are you looking for Soaring Sky Sword Dragon? You’re a young martial artist traveling alone, I see.”

Assuming wrong, the innkeeper grinned and said,

“He left the village at noon with his betrothed. They stayed in our inn.”

“Really? Do you know where they were headed?”

“Why would an innkeeper reveal such information to a traveler?”

“……”

He had a point. Perhaps feeling pity for my young age, he looked at me sympathetically and added, “Well… I can make a guess. They were heading north from the village; that would lead to Gwanjung. He is probably heading into the city of Gwanjung.”

“That makes sense.”

I thought the innkeeper’s speculation made sense. It’s unlikely that a famous martial artist like Soaring Sky Sword Dragon would travel around a remote village. Especially not with his betrothed in tow. It would be more normal to travel on horseback along a comfortable route, visiting large towns. It seemed almost certain that Namgung Hwan of Soaring Sky Sword Dragon was heading toward Gwanjung.

“Maybe I should rest a bit and then follow.”

Gwanjung was my destination as well. If I set off in the morning and find traces of Namgung Hwan, I should be able to at least see his face by the end of the day. If not, it couldn’t be helped; I could simply go to Azure Dragon Martial Hall.

Creak—

“Try eating this.”

“Eh?”

A short while later, the innkeeper came to my room and set down some chicken dish. Seeing my puzzled look, he chuckled.

“It’s on the house. Eat up and regain some strength.”

“Thank you.”

I felt grateful once again, realizing I was receiving kindness during my journey. After the innkeeper left, I felt uncomfortable as I ate the warm chicken dish. It occurred to me that in my many years of travels through reincarnation, I had received help from numerous people.

Besides Mr. Song from the fabric store, I also owed Jangcheol from the Three Pines Courier Agency. I hadn’t been able to even begin repaying them because I had been too busy with my own affairs. The contradiction of accumulating emotional debts in life that could never be paid off weighed on me.

“However, it’s not possible to go around repaying kindness in every reincarnation. Hmm… this is a tough problem.”

After finishing the chicken dish, I washed up and fell into a pleasant sleep for the first time in a while.

The next morning, I got up and thanked the innkeeper, helping him a little with arranging the tables and chairs in the inn. He said that was more than enough, which lightened my heart.

I left Gangwol Village and arrived in Gwanjung. I remembered having to dig the ground for shelter and shivering from the cold when I first came here with nothing but my guts. I couldn’t recall how many years had passed since then, but the memories of that time were still vivid.

“Well, at least I don’t have to sleep outdoors anymore.”

I began wandering around inside Gwanjung city, looking for Namgung Hwan, who should be here. I didn’t realize back when I was focused on training in Gwanjung’s Azure Dragon Martial Hall, but Gwanjung City was as large and bustling as any other cities. The roads were wide, and many people were walking about.

While thinking about how to find Namgung Hwan, it occurred to me to use my Qi Sense. After consuming the spiritual elixir for the third time, my inner energy had greatly increased.I had advanced from simply sensing the size of Qi to being able to detect distant Qi. In other words, I could recognize exceptional martial artists within a broad range.

“I should easily find a late-stage expert like Namgung Hwan.”

I wasn’t specifically looking for Namgung Hwan to fulfill any particular agenda. It was merely out of personal curiosity to see what a famous person from the future was like in the past. As I wandered the bustling streets using my Qi Sense, surprisingly, within a range of 200 paces, I detected about five significant sources of qi.

All five of qi sources belonged to first-rate martial artists or even higher. Even though the city streets were crowded, it was unusual to see so many experts gathered, and I found it odd.

Lately, I’ve been associating with peak martial artists, and as for first-rate martial artists, they are far stronger than an average fighter. Even within the first-rates, there are varying levels of skill, so it wasn’t easy to belittle them as being just below peak-level. For example, even I, who possess a substantial amount of internal energy, can’t be certain that I have first-rate martial arts skills. First-rate martial artists are like advanced apprentices looking up to masters in the art of martial arts.

” Hmm… Anyway, Namgung Hwan should be among them.”

I decided to go and check out each of the five first-rate experts one by one.

The first person I encountered was a man sitting in a back alley with a wooden sword slung over his shoulder. He had a vacant expression and seemed to be in his early 20s. As soon as the man with the wooden sword noticed me, he spoke with a hint of annoyance.

“What do you want? I want to be alone, so leave this alley…”

“You seem like a first-rate martial artist. What are you doing here?”

At that, the man with the wooden sword raised his eyebrows and said, “You’re no ordinary kid. A disciple of Beggar Sect, perhaps?”

I looked down at my clothes. They were indeed tattered and dirty from a long journey, enough for anyone to mistake me for a Beggar Sect’s member. I shook my head.

“No, that’s not it. I apologize for the intrusion. I’ll be on my way.”

“Hold on a moment.”

As I stopped, the man with the wooden sword spoke,

“Are you also looking for Namgung Hwan?”

What does he mean?

As I stared at him, the man with the wooden sword chuckled and introduced himself, “I’m War Sword Demon, Wi-jong. If you’re a beggar sect’s punk, then you’ll have to tell me about Moyong Yeon, that guy’s betrothed.”

Ziing.

War Sword Demon got up from his seat, generating a wave of murderous aura.

I frowned, sensing that I had unexpectedly found myself in a fight with a first-rate expert.

‘What is this guy misunderstanding?’

However, it turned out to be a good thing.

He seemed to be the perfect opponent to test my abilities. With that thought, I slowly began to gather my internal energy.

“Come at me, if you dare…”