I drew one breath in.
I expelled one breath out.
I repeated inhaling and exhaling.
It was an attempt to calm myself down.
Not as heavy as when in meditation, but not light either. With each breath, the oaths circulated through my body.
I closed my mouth and looked ahead.
At the center of the lobby with its hollowed-out structure, Hye-ryeong stood facing me with a serious expression unlike her usual demeanor, her sword pointed at me. I also raised my sword towards her.
The OX GUARD.
Ten paces.
A distance impossible for an ordinary person to overlook, but for a martial artist, ten paces mean being within striking distance at any moment. For martial realm practitioners who use agile footwork, this distance is akin to being in close quarters.
If you blink once…
It’s the distance where the opponent appears right before your nose.
The swords clashed, sending sparks flying. I immediately advanced to prevent her sword, caught at the core of the blade, from retreating, ensuring it collided with the tip of my sword.
The movement was instantaneous.
The result came a split second later.
Hye-ryeong’s sword, upon hitting the tip of my sword, caused vibrations in her grasp, and I used these vibrations as a signal to rotate my sword half a turn, bringing the blade to her neck.
Had it been her first time, she would have naturally lost to this maneuver. However, Hye-ryeong had already gone through countless sparring sessions with me. As I attacked, she employed the water-flowing footwork of the Hainan Sword Sect’s “Yusu Footwork” to smoothly move out of striking distance.
“You’ve gotten more fluid than before.”
“Heh heh…”
Did the praise make her that happy? Smiling widely, I stepped closer to Hye-ryeong, who I favor, and subtly lunged my sword forward. The tip of the blade aimed at her heart.
Hye-ryeong changed her expression instantly, bowed her upper body, and pivoted in a full circle to the left while drawing a diagonal slash upward from below. The target seemed to be my chest.
I immediately rotated my sword 90 degrees to the left, smoothly intercepting her strike. Once again, the swords collided at the tip, creating a brief deadlock.
Since the attack failed, she would surely retreat a step now.
“Ho.”
“Heh heh…”
Instead of retreating, she advanced further.
Is she determined not to give up the initiative?
Any strong martial artist, once the initiative is lost, can’t even exhibit half their true strength. Hye-ryeong’s choice wasn’t bad.
Moving forward is better than hesitating in retreat.
The adage “Certain Death Leads to Life, Certain Life Leads to Death” is the truth of combat after all.
Because only when you’re in control of your offense and defense, does it matter. Even martial arts specialized in counter-attacks ultimately rely on seizing the initiative to fully demonstrate their effectiveness.
“You’re being unfair, Mister, you didn’t even let me land a hit.”
“If I let you hit me, I’d be dead.”
I lowered the sword aimed at Hye-ryeong’s neck. As the blade moved away from her neck, she sighed and sat down to catch her breath.
“Your swordplay is so fascinating, Mister. It feels like it shifts between offense and defense seamlessly… What exactly happened just now?”
“Didn’t I tell you that the further towards the tip of the blade, the weaker the force?”
“You said that yesterday!”
“If you go the opposite direction, towards the base…”
“The force grows stronger!”
“So when you intercept a sword, you should aim for the base. As you witnessed earlier, when you swung your sword, I blocked it with the base, fixed it there, then rotated my sword to bring it to your neck.”
“It seems too complicated without predefined moves…”
“That’s why you can’t execute flashy attacks like other martial artists.”
Strictly speaking, the Western art doesn’t lack in predefined moves—it’s more like the terminology isn’t as explicit. There’s ample room to interpret a sequence of movements between different techniques as a move.
“Still, it seems flashy techniques don’t really help in real combat.”
“Perhaps…”
If the flashy swordplay is as dazzling as the Hua Mountain School’s, it can be a weapon in itself. Dazzling displays often confuse the senses.
I recalled Pythagorean swordplay from the battlefield.
It wasn’t as flamboyant as a stage dancer, but having isosceles triangles and equations drawn in the air was flashy in its own right. A madness that fatigues the beholder.
A ridiculous art form that improves through mathematical study, but it was not abnormal.
“Isn’t the Hainan Sword Sect’s origin disconnected from extravagance?”
“True, sword qi can bend unpredictably or attack suddenly with left-hand usage, which makes it a challenging style… but your perceptions might shift after seeing a grand, ornate swordplay.”
I haven’t had the chance to spar with a practitioner of the ultimate Hainam 36-sword technique.
I’ve only seen Elder Baek wield his sword, with its mist-like sword qi swirling and undulating like waves.
“When you mention Plum Blossom Swordplay, I want to see it…”
“The Martial Prohibition tournament will be held soon, you’ll get the chance to see.”
“…Am I going to do well?”
“Are you worried?”
“Y-yes…”
Hye-ryeong trailed off while slouching. Seeing this usually energetic girl damp and tired struck a protective chord deep within me.
I squatted in front of her and gently stroked her head to encourage her. I’d heard that women generally don’t like their heads touched, but Hye-ryeong’s expression always softened when I did this.
Actually, maybe she’s not a penguin, but a dog?
Though calling her a dog doesn’t quite fit her violent figure.
“Mister, I’ll go and bathe.”
“Alright, have a good wash.”
Hye-ryeong stood up and stretched, inadvertently drawing attention as her chest swayed. The sweat-drenched martial robe clung to her body, revealing her movements with a stark clarity that drew my gaze unavoidably.
“Heh heh…”
“Go shower quickly.”
“Will you join me?”
“…Just go and come back soon.”
“Pfft.”
What’s that “pfft” about? I sighed as I watched her walk towards the bathhouse.
Every day is an endurance test.
Isn’t this territory supposed to be Confucian culture? Why is she so forward?
Sighing, I sheathed my sword and took a drink of the water prepared earlier.
“…The water here tastes pretty bland.”
There’s a reason tea and wine developed so widely in China.
They made them because the plain water tastes like this.
“…I should maybe meditate while Hye-ryeong is bathing.”
I headed towards the training hall.
—
“Master Zhuge, have you heard the story?”
“What story?”
“There’s a rumor that a Colored-Eyed Person will participate in this Martial Prohibition tournament.”
“A Colored-Eyed Person?”
While everyone was enjoying their drinks and idle chatter, Cheongryong Sword Namgung Hwi’s sudden remark upon setting down his wine made everyone look at him.
A Colored-Eyed Person.
A word rarely mentioned in the inland Central Plains.
Thus, curiosity sparkled in everyone’s eyes.
“Prince Namgung, is that true?”
“Yes.”
A good social gathering needs an interesting topic. Namgung Hwi, relishing the attention on him, gleefully recounted the information he’d gathered.
“Did you know that the members of the Hainam Sword Sect have arrived at the Martial Alliance? They brought along a Colored-Eyed Person. Though I haven’t seen him, he’s said to be a towering seven feet tall and completely filled with muscle.”
“Is he a martial artist?”
“Would someone traveling with the Hainam Sword Sect not be?”
“He’s probably not of the Hainam Sword Sect, but who else… hmm.”
“He’s undoubtedly from the Potala Palace. Who else enters the Central Plains from Western Regions besides them?”
“Moureng, remember, the Western Regions are vast.”
At Zhuge Hwi’s words, Moureng Jin looked perplexed and asked,
“Is that so?”
“According to Uncle, there are many nations in the Western Regions.”
“Words from the great swordsman, Elegant Sword Namgung Chul, are surely true.”
“No one knows the Western Regions better than him.”
Everyone seated nodded in agreement.
Elegant Sword Namgung Chul.
Because he loved traveling and had ventured to the outskirts of Western Regions when he was young, his words were certainly trustworthy. At least those gathered here considered his knowledge credible.
“Well then, Master Zhuge, do you have other information?”
“It seems this Colored-Eyed Person has the nickname Blue-Eyed Lion.”
“Blue-Eyed Lion?”
“A Colored-Eyed Person whose name has been circulating recently. This person is accompanying the Hainam Sword Sect?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know that either. Very few people have interacted with him. However, since he has shown close camaraderie with the members of the Hainam Sword Sect, it’s clear that they share a deep bond.”
“Hmph… A Colored-Eyed Person with a nickname! I look forward to meeting him at the Martial Prohibition tournament!”
A fierce tiger like Peng Jeoksan, who towered over most martial artists, guffawed heartily and tipped the entire wine bottle into his mouth. Impressed by his hearty demeanor, Namgung Hwi chuckled and said,
“An encounter between two giants will surely be amusing.”
“Haha! Without a doubt, with the Five-Tiger Sealing the Door technique, that Colored-Eyed Person will be defeated!”
“That will be entertaining.”
Zhuge Hyeon-sang, while idly playing with his teacup, observed the raucous trio.
‘Young Sir Wei, I didn’t expect to meet you so soon.’
Bekmu Seoung, Zhuge Hyeon-sang.
He smiled faintly at the unexpected reunion.
