Jin So-cheong lightly flicked his sword as he spoke, and it flew straight into the scabbard positioned outside the tent — hitting it perfectly. It was something an ordinary person could hardly imitate, proving that he was undoubtedly a master.
"Don't be disappointed. Once you master the Eight Forms of Thunder Soul , I'll teach you swordsmanship as well."
"Eight Forms of Thunder Soul?"
"That's the name of the spear technique I'll be teaching you."
Swish.
Jin So-cheong handed me a wooden practice spear. I only knew the basics of how to hold a spear, so I awkwardly mimicked his grip. He said,
"Baek Mong-ma, I know you don't have much natural talent. But spear technique is a martial art that anyone can master with determination and effort! I'll push your potential to its very limit."
As I stared blankly at Jin So-cheong, he asked, puzzled,
"What's wrong?"
"Well... I just can't understand why you'd invest so much in someone like me."
I still hadn't found the Millennium Snow Ginseng. I hadn't taken any miraculous elixirs either. Yet, I knew this one-on-one instruction from Jin So-cheong itself was a rare and extraordinary opportunity. Even a wealthy man offering gold might not receive this kind of privilege. So I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, spending his time on me.
"You're surprisingly honest."
"Director Lee Gwang or Master Chung both have their own paths they're pursuing, don't they? I don't see any reason for you to be obsessed with gaining another late-stage disciple."
The reason I pointed that out so directly was because I was now certain: Jin So-cheong had accepted me as one of his own. If it were just about teaching me the Thunder Pulse Breathing Technique, that would be one thing — but revealing the Eight Forms of Thunder Soul, a secret spear technique, meant he had brought me fully into his sect. That's why I dared to ask so directly; I figured Jin So-cheong wouldn't be able to cast me aside so easily.
Jin So-cheong let out a bitter laugh.
"A reason… I'll tell you once you've proven you're worth at least one man. Trying to fly when you haven't even learned to walk — what an arrogant brat."
"I see."
"Baek Mong-ma, for now just shut up and learn."
Those blunt words from Jin So-cheong became a motto I would carry with me for the rest of my life.
"Reasons can wait until after you become strong."
4. Northern Training Grounds
Time flew by.
A year passed quickly.
Since I had nowhere to return to, I treated this place as my home — eating, sleeping, and training day after day in repetition.
By the second year, I started to feel a bit lonely.
My body was growing into that of a young man, and I could tell puberty was setting in.
By the third year, I was finally able to withstand over ten moves in a sparring match with Jin So-cheong.
Clang!!
My iron spear clashed with a loud metallic sound and was knocked aside. Jin So-cheong lightly pulled back his strike and scolded me.
"When do you think I'll ever need to use a real spear against you, Baek Ung?"
"Probably not in my lifetime."
I let out a bitter laugh and slumped to the ground.
It had already been three years since I became, for all intents and purposes, Jin So-cheong's personal disciple at the Cheongryong Martial Pavilion. But in all that time, I had never managed to draw out his true strength. He still only used a wooden sword when sparring with me and had never once wielded his main weapon — the spear.
I had grown a lot from a scrawny boy into a proper young man, taller and stronger. But compared to Jin So-cheong's skill, I was still hopelessly outmatched. As I sat there in a slump, feeling defeated, Jin So-cheong spoke.
"You've already learned all the techniques of the Cheongryong Pavilion — the Eight Forms of Thunder Soul , the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique , and the Thunder Shadow Step — and yet you still complain? If you'd mastered all of those properly, you could take me down."
"I'm not a genius, after all."
But I knew the truth.
I would probably never catch up to Jin So-cheong, not even if I trained until the day I died.
Just like he said, over the past three years, I had absorbed all the secret techniques of Cheongryong Martial Pavilion. I had learned the Eight Forms of Thunder Soul, mastered the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique to a fair extent — I had even reached fifty percent proficiency with it, as it suited me well. I had also trained the Thunder Shadow Step and steadily cultivated my inner energy through the Thunder Pulse Breathing Technique. Compared to other advanced-stage martial artists, I wasn't lacking.
But Jin So-cheong had grown even stronger over those three years. I had never even seen the limits of his abilities, and that left me speechless.
"He really is one of the Ten Great Masters of the Martial World… the greatest spear in all of Zhongyuan…"
Jin So-cheong slung his wooden sword over his shoulder, scratched his belly, and said—
"Has it already been three years since you came to our martial pavilion?"
"If we're counting by calendar years, then yes."
"Go visit your hometown."
At Jin So-cheong's sudden suggestion, I flinched and trembled slightly.
"Huh? My hometown?"
"Yeah. You should at least let the people in your village know whether you're alive or dead, don't you think?"
Could I even call that place a hometown?
It was where I cleaned out cow dung every day and slept in a barn.
Where everyone in the village looked down on me, and I was often beaten by drunk men.
Where I had no one on my side, and eventually had to flee like I was escaping from prison to join a security escort bureau.
There wasn't a single good memory to be found, even if I scrubbed my mind clean and looked for one.
"I can guess how you feel, seeing as you've never even sent a letter," Jin So-cheong continued, "but still, a hometown is a hometown. Things will get much busier from now on, so I think it wouldn't hurt to go and settle your past, in your own way."
He had a point.
Though there was no lingering affection left in that village for me, I did agree that I needed to settle my past — even if I did it in my own way.
I smiled faintly.
"Well, then I'll go."
"I've already informed the director. I'll give you some travel money and three months. Spend as much time breathing that village air as you like."
"Yes."
Village air, huh.
What would that even feel like?
What I did know for sure was that I wouldn't be breathing that air quietly.
The next morning, I packed my things and left the Cheongryong Martial Pavilion. After three years of living as if I were confined, even the streets of Guanzhong city looked unfamiliar and new. I considered renting a horse at the station partway through the journey, but decided against it — I didn't want to waste the money.
"He told me to settle my past… does he want to send me to the Jin-yi Guard ?"
Jin-yi Guard!
A powerful military organization directly under the imperial family, full of elite martial artists.
Whenever Director Lee Gwang chatted with Master Jin So-cheong over tea, he always showed a strong obsession with the Jin-yi Guard. Even though he was a respected martial artist from a righteous sect, he seemed to miss his days in the Jin-yi Guard.
And Jin So-cheong, too, would often mention it, even in passing.
I couldn't help but feel that their intentions were tied to the Jin-yi Guard.
But why?
Why would they, living comfortably while running the prestigious Cheongryong Martial Pavilion, want anything to do with that organization?
Organizations like the Jinyiwei don't offer full protection to their members. In fact, they tend to be even more suspicious of those who've been exposed to their secrets. That's why I couldn't bring myself to trust them.
Still, judging by how they were talking, it was clear that they were planning to involve me in something very soon.
"If it comes to that… I'll just run."
As long as I'm not tied down, I can always escape.
Over the next few days, I followed the main road, stopping at inns or private homes whenever I needed rest. Unlike when I first arrived at the Cheongryong Martial Pavilion, I was now traveling at ease — calm, relaxed, and confident.
That was when it happened.
"Kehahaha! Where do you think you're going~?"
Five bandits stepped out from the thicket along the roadside. Judging by their attire, they looked like proper members of a regular Green Forest gang. That meant they had basic martial arts training, which made them an annoying bunch to deal with.
I calmly assessed them and said,
"I don't have any money. I'll give you everything I've got, just please back off."
"Huh? No money?"
The bearded bandit in front sneered, his voice laced with a drunken growl. A fierce killing aura rippled through the air.
"Then I guess we'll just take your guts instead!"
Shhhk!
Two of the bandits lunged at me with blades drawn, without hesitation. But I used Thunder Shadow Step to dodge swiftly — not even a scratch touched me.
If this had been three years ago, I would've barely escaped. But now, I was able to retreat gracefully while also sizing them up for a counterattack. No big deal.
"Thugs who kill first and rob later."
There are two types of bandits.
Those who just steal — and those who kill and steal.
Most people assume the latter is more common, but that's not true. The more bodies a gang leaves behind, the more likely they are to attract government patrols and extermination squads. So most Green Forest outlaws preferred to just rob and leave, even paying "tribute" to local escort bureaus in return for being left alone.
But the ones I'd run into now clearly belonged to the minority faction — the kind who killed first and wandered aimlessly afterward like vagabonds. Even among bandits, they were looked down on for being too reckless and cruel.
If I had met them three years ago, this roadside would have become my grave.
But now?
I gave a cold smile.
"I may not be able to beat Jin So-cheong…"
"Huh?!"
Shhhk!
As soon as I drew my blade from my waist, I unleashed Thunder Flash — First Form and in an instant, two of the bandits' heads went flying.
Before the remaining ones could even process what was happening, I swerved around like a storm and struck another bandit square in the chest with my palm.
Thwump!
With a sickening crunch, his chest caved in and he coughed up blood. His ribs had been crushed — there was no way he was surviving that.
"…That's how it is."
"H-He's strong…"
"That guy's a martial artist…!"
The remaining bandits must've realized something had gone terribly wrong. They quickly turned their backs and tried to flee.
But I chased them down from behind and cut their throats one by one. It had been a long time since I last felt the visceral sensation of slicing through flesh — like carving through chunks of raw meat. Killing again after all these years brought back a tense, sharp feeling, but I soon regained my composure.
Wiping the blood off my blade with a cloth, I murmured,
"Just a little farther now and I'll reach the village."
There was a slight gleam in my eye.
"Should I stop by and say hello to the village chief?"
My steps toward the village grew lighter.
The name of my old village was So-eul Village. It was a pretty name, ironically enough, but for me, it was a place filled with bitter, nightmarish memories.
It had every downside you could expect from an isolated farming village: cliquishness, constant ostracization, and an almost feudal power structure where everything was decided at the whim of the village chief — the absolute authority.
If there was one small mercy in all that misfortune, it was that the chief happened to be a shrewd operator. He had formed ties with the nearby Maehwa Escort Agency and managed to bring in money to the village. Because of that connection, even when he forced beautiful village women to become his concubines or used villagers like private labor, things ran smoothly without much outside interference.
A despot ruling over an isolated village —
That was how I felt about my so-called hometown.
In fact, it was partially thanks to the village chief that I managed to leave and join the Maehwa Escort Agency years ago. His influence extended there too, and had things gone differently, I might have ended up as a servant for life. The thought that my fate once hung on the thread of that man's mood still sends a chill down my spine.
And now—
As I entered So-eul Village, a mix of emotions churned inside me.
"Should I just cause a total scene and leave?"
If I wanted, I could start a massacre and vanish without a trace. If I wore a mask and struck at night, targeting only the chief's family, it would be nearly impossible to identify me. If I ever wanted to settle my past grudges, I'd never get a better opportunity than this.
But I had already made up my mind before arriving. Shaking off the temptation, I headed toward the village chief's house — my steps slow, my nerves on edge.
As I walked along the dirt paths between fields, a few young men approached and called out to me as if they knew me.
"Hey! Isn't that the dung boy? Look who it is!"
"Wow, it's been ages! Hahaha!"
The group of five or six young men walked together, their bodies plump from eating well. They were the kind of guys you could call the "labor force" of this village. These were the same ones who had bullied me relentlessly — not just three years ago, but long before that, back when I worked as a servant in the village chief's household.
They used to beat me up for fun and constantly ordered me around. Since they were a few years older and always moved in a pack, it had been nearly impossible for me to fight back.
I spoke coldly.
"Been a while. You all doing well?"
The one who seemed to be the leader looked a little surprised at first but then flashed a smug grin.
"What's this? Looks like our little dung-boy's forgotten his place after not getting beaten for three years."
"Hahaha!"
"Guess we'd better knock some sense back into him!"
As they mocked and jeered at me, I simply stared at them with a blank, unreadable gaze.
There was no lingering trauma.
No psychological fear from the past.
In fact, I had sharpened my rage like a blade every day, dreaming of killing them. Right now, my hands were itching. I was barely restraining my killing intent — and honestly, even if I drew my sword and cut off their heads right now, it wouldn't feel like enough.
"…Why is that?"
These guys were weaker than the five bandits I'd just killed — even if ten armed bandits came at me, I could slaughter them within a single meal's time. Compared to that, these idiots were nothing. Less than nothing.
"So what gives them the courage to act like this?"
After a moment's thought, I realized the answer: they didn't know why I left the village.
If they had, they wouldn't dare treat me like this.
There's no way they'd behave like this toward someone who left to join a martial arts academy.
Apparently, the chief had deliberately concealed the truth about why I left.
"Heh."
Having figured out the situation, I chuckled.
Now that I knew what I was dealing with, I felt freer — I could carry out what I originally planned with even more conviction.
Maybe my expression irritated them, because one of the guys in front suddenly threw a punch.
"Kkueegh!!"
A dull crack followed — not the sound of a hit landing, but the sound of his own arm breaking in an unnatural direction. At the same time, another guy took two kicks to the solar plexus, vomited on the spot, and collapsed to the ground, shaking.
The others panicked, totally unprepared for what had just happened.
"Wh-What the…?"
"What's going on…?"
I casually grabbed two of their heads and slammed them into each other. With a thud, their eyes rolled back and they passed out instantly.
The remaining ones, unable to grasp what was happening, hesitated and backed away.
I sighed.
"Haaah… can you even see how I'm moving? Do you even know what just hit you?"
They probably couldn't.
They were hopelessly outclassed.