Chapter 128
"Was it real?"
Wei Yan-ho's ears perked up.
It couldn't help but be an interesting topic.
The Sword Emperor is called the greatest swordsman of all time. How could he not be interested when someone's legacy had been discovered?
"Real! Are you saying the Sword Emperor's legacy was really discovered?"
"To be precise, it should be said that the Sword Emperor's tomb was discovered, not his legacy."
"A tomb! Are you certain?"
"There are aspects that match the Sword Emperor's deeds from his lifetime. First, they say the tomb is extremely modest. Wasn't the Sword Emperor known for being very humble?"
Hmm…
Wei Yan-ho found himself nodding without realizing it.
Someone called the Sword Emperor should naturally be that way.
How different from his master who loved luxury and flashy things, even making his sword gleam and sparkle!
His master loved luxury to the point of being pathologically obsessed. During breaks, he would enjoy boasting nonsense about how he once had a training ground made of gold at his house, or how if he had spent all the wealth he accumulated back then, the people of the Central Plains could have eaten their fill for a year.
His master was full of pretense, but wasn't the Sword Emperor famous for being humble?
"But you can't say it's the Sword Emperor's tomb just because the tomb is modest."
"That's not all. They say remnants of the plain cloth the Sword Emperor used to wear were found inside the tomb."
"Right. He was known for being so frugal that he never wore fancy clothes."
Hmm!
Wei Yan-ho kept nodding.
Someone who should be a model for others, the greatest swordsman of all time, should naturally be that way.
On the other hand, his master loved silk clothes so much that even when projecting his body as an illusion, he would go to the trouble of wearing silk clothes decorated with dragons and phoenixes.
Remembering how his master used to giggle about how the courtesans would go crazy when he dressed up in such clothes and went to the pleasure quarters made him sigh involuntarily.
They were both from three hundred years ago – how could they be so different?
'What? Shaolin bowed their bald heads and Wudang buried their noses in the ground?'
What nonsense is this when the Sword Emperor existed in the same era? He roughly thought it was bragging and filtered out about half of it, but now it seems the bragging exceeds ninety percent!
"That fraud."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing."
No matter what, talking about his own master felt somehow embarrassing.
"So? Was any of the Sword Emperor's martial arts discovered inside?"
"That's still unknown."
"Why is that?"
"There was an opinion from mechanism experts that there's a space behind the tomb, but whether it's made of ten-thousand-year cold iron or something, it won't open at all. They say countless people are flocking there now, trying to open the door."
"Hmm, if that's true… this is no ordinary matter."
Seomun Da-yeon, who had been listening to the conversation, turned her head to look at Lee Seol-hwa.
"Seol-hwa."
"Yes, Sister Seomun."
The two had been riding together on the driver's seat for quite some time during their journey, and seemed to have become quite close.
"Aren't you tempted by the Sword Emperor's martial arts?"
Lee Seol-hwa shook her head.
"I've heard that treasures have their own destined owners. I don't think I could obtain it just because I'm greedy for it."
"Still, you never know."
Lee Seol-hwa seemed to ponder for a moment, then shook her head again.
"If it's martial arts from someone like the Sword Emperor, it would be correspondingly difficult. I don't think it's something I could handle."
"That's not wrong."
Gong Mu-jin slowly opened his mouth.
The frivolousness he showed when dealing with Wei Yan-ho was hidden somewhere, and his face showed the appearance of a swordsman he had first displayed.
"If it's martial arts from someone like the Sword Emperor, it would be supreme among supreme martial arts. Especially since it's his final legacy, it would be martial arts that organized his insights. Such martial arts tend to be abstruse and difficult."
"Yes."
"Difficult martial arts have great utility when mastered, but they can also lead the practitioner into qi deviation if one isn't careful. So it's better not to harbor unnecessary greed."
"Would it be very difficult?"
"If it's an ordinary level martial artist, they wouldn't even understand it after reading it. Only those who have reached the ultimate realm could gain even slight insights. The insights of such legendary figures are that complex and great."
Wei Yan-ho made a dumbfounded expression. He remembered what his master had said.
"What? Difficult? Why difficult? Swords shouldn't be difficult! Those who leave behind insights and whatnot, plastering them with strange words, are all nobodies pretending to be something they're not. Or they have shit for brains and can't explain their insights in simple terms. Originally, the best thing is to make it so anyone can easily know and anyone can easily learn. If not, then why teach it at all – just keep it to yourself and take it to the grave. How about it! This master's martial arts are easy, convenient, and simple! Kehehehe!"
"Definitely a fraud."
"Pardon?"
"…Nothing."
Every time he opens his mouth it's lies, every time he opens his mouth it's bragging.
'But his power is also disgustingly strong.'
He was simply curious how such a person came to possess such powerful martial arts.
Well, seeing that he even created an internal core, he probably picked up some ten-thousand-year ginseng somewhere. He might have even made a fortune selling just the rootlets.
"Besides, don't you already have Huashan's martial arts?"
"Yes, Master."
"No matter how excellent the Sword Emperor's martial arts may be, since they're already three hundred years old, Huashan's swordsmanship is certainly not inferior. No, considering the era, it could be said to be even more excellent. So don't be greedy for pointless things, and devote yourself more to what you have."
"Yes."
Wei Yan-ho felt inexplicably irritated.
"When was the Plum Blossom Sword Technique created?"
"Oh, about five hundred years ago?"
"Then what, that's also old-fashioned."
"..."
When Gong Mu-jin became like someone who ate honey and couldn't speak, Wei Yan-ho finally felt a bit better.
'That's strange.'
He always wanted to curse his master, but while he might not know his master's personality, he couldn't tolerate slander about his master's martial arts. If three-hundred-year-old martial arts were old-fashioned, wouldn't that mean his master's martial arts were also old-fashioned?
'Normally, shouldn't I get angry when someone insults my master?'
It seemed that his master's greatest pride in his own martial arts had been passed on to him as well.
To have pride in martial arts with that handsome face – what a pitiful person.
"Let's eat first."
"Yes."
When Gong Mu-jin picked up chopsticks and took some food, Wei Yan-ho called the server.
"Please bring some rice here."
"With all these dishes, you're ordering rice too?"
"I ate too much dry rations."
When the rice was brought, Wei Yan-ho lifted the rice bowl and took a spoonful.
Swoosh.
At that moment, a well-fried chicken leg slipped onto his rice bowl.
'Huh?'
Lee Seol-hwa had placed the chicken leg on Wei Yan-ho's rice bowl and was looking away.
'What's this?'
"Mm, this chicken is really well-fried. I'd like to see the cook. Now, where's the chicken leg…"
Gong Mu-jin, who had been looking for the chicken leg in his bowl, tilted his head and then turned toward Wei Yan-ho's rice bowl.
"…Isn't two a bit much?"
"Two?"
Wei Yan-ho looked down at his rice bowl and widened his eyes.
"When did this get here?"
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Gong Mu-jin clicked his tongue.
"Taking both chicken legs when eating chicken is no different from declaring war, accepting that blood may flow at this table."
"It wasn't me!"
"And making excuses too! That chicken must have been fried too lightly! Look how it's still alive and moving! If it didn't walk in by itself, and you didn't bring it, why would it be there?"
"Wait! Wait!"
Wei Yan-ho turned his head with a face full of injustice, but Lee Seol-hwa kept her face fixed toward her master's direction and never turned it this way.
"If you're from Guangdong Wei, it's not like you grew up unable to eat food, so this is quite disappointing."
Wei Yan-ho beat his chest, but even Seomun Da-yeon was looking at him with a disapproving face, so he had no choice but to endure that injustice.
"…Should I order another chicken?"
"No."
Wei Yan-ho, who had suddenly become a ghost crazed from not being able to eat chicken legs, secretly glared at Lee Seol-hwa, but Lee Seol-hwa still wouldn't meet his gaze.
'Oh my?'
Though she was turning her head away, she couldn't hide her ears. Her reddened ears were perking up.
"Hmm?"
Gong Mu-jin, who noticed Lee Seol-hwa's face had turned red, frowned.
"Your face is red. Are the internal injuries from that lecher not fully healed yet?"
"…No."
"Internal injuries that aren't properly treated in time will trouble a person for a long time. Focus on taking care of your body."
"Yes, Master."
Wei Yan-ho watched this scene with his insides boiling.
"You were going to throw me in the Repentance Cave before! Now you're acting caring!"
"Hehehe, that was because I didn't know you were that strong. Since you knocked out that lecher in one blow, I thought my disciple had been careless and got hurt. If that wasn't the case, then it's fine, isn't it?"
"Grr."
The first impression of Gong Mu-jin was quite cold, but it turned out the man had some airheaded qualities.
"More than that, tell me about your master. I'm really curious about what kind of person raised someone like you."
"He's a ghost."
"He must be a ghost-like person. That's not necessarily a flaw for a swordsman."
"No, I mean he's a ghost."
"..."
Gong Mu-jin looked at Wei Yan-ho with empty eyes.
"If you don't want to talk, just say so."
"That's why I said I wouldn't talk!"
What can he do when they don't believe him even when he tells the truth!
Unable to call father "father," unable to call elder brother "elder brother"…
Ah, this isn't the right saying to use here?
Gong Mu-jin didn't ask any more about Wei Yan-ho's master. He thought Wei Yan-ho was reluctant to talk about his master.
Of course, Wei Yan-ho had no such intention, but it was a situation that could easily be misunderstood.
"You said you're going to Luoyang?"
"Yes."
"Are you thinking of joining the Orthodox Alliance?"
"Not really. Right now I'm just traveling without any particular purpose."
"Ho, I see. Then there's no need to go specifically to Luoyang… How about it? Why don't you stop by Huashan? If you come, the elders swarming around Huashan will welcome you with open arms."
"…Wouldn't there be nothing good in it for me?"
"Huashan is generous to guests. It will be a more enjoyable experience than you think."
"Hmm…"
Just as Wei Yan-ho was about to consider it, Gong Mu-jin spoke in a subtle voice.
"And in my opinion, it would be better to leave this region as quickly as possible."
"What? Why?"
"A bloody wind will blow soon."
Seeing Gong Mu-jin's utterly serious face, Wei Yan-ho's expression also became somewhat grave.