Chapter 6. The First-Generation Disciple, Lee Byeok (1)

The next morning.

The three of them, Lee Byeok, Jaegal Somi, and Hyuk Dae-woong, sat around the dining table.

Just as they were getting used to eating together, a particularly heavy silence hung over the table today.

Tak!

“Ah, seriously! It’s making me lose my appetite!”

Jaegal Somi’s chopsticks struck the table.

“Hey, kid. Eat your food.”

“……”

“Feeling hopeless? We’ve been at it for two years.”

Two years.

It wasn’t difficult to understand what that meant.

Last night, through Lee Jincheon’s Transmitting Qi through Acupoints, Lee Byeok had regained his inner arts for a fleeting moment.

He had tasted a moment of immense liberation and felt as if he had reclaimed the secret sword style he thought he could never use again.

But the borrowed power had receded like the tide. Nothing remained in a body with a broken vessel.

Only a sense of futility and loss remained.

And Jaegal Somi and Hyuk Dae-woong had already gone through the same experience two years ago.

“And that’s it. That human, he doesn’t do anything more, and he’s rarely seen because he’s always wandering around.”

“……”

“Even if you grab him and ask, he just says things like he’s opened the path so now it’s up to your heart. Or to think about the true meaning of martial arts. Just spouting nonsense that’s like trying to catch clouds.”

Haa, Jaegal Somi sighed.

“Who can’t say that kind of thing? How is that any different from saying that anyone can pass the state examination if they just study hard, focusing on the Four Books and Five Classics?”

A hint of regret crossed the girl's face.

The air grew even heavier. Hahat, Hyuk Dae-woong let out a bitter laugh.

“W-well, it’s not like the Sect Leader is saying something that’s not true. A profound enlightenment is originally difficult to transmit through words……”

“Right, that’s why it’s even more annoying.”

Grit, Jaegal Somi ground her teeth.

“That human genuinely says that kind of thing as if it’s advice. Because a genius can’t understand a dunce. From that human’s perspective, our talents probably look to be at the level of a tadpole.”

“……”

Tak, finally, even Hyuk Dae-woong’s chopsticks were placed on the dining table. And from three mouths, three different sighs flowed out.

In the silence, Lee Byeok thought.

Lee Jincheon, the savior of his life. An absolute master whose skill could not even be fathomed. And now, the leader of the sect he belonged to and… a medicine peddler.

The more he thought, the less he understood.

It felt like a mockery of common sense.

“Who on earth is the Sect Leader?”

Lee Byeok asked a fundamental question.

It was perhaps a rather late question.

At that moment, Jaegal Somi and Hyuk Dae-woong looked at each other as if by agreement. Pfft, they laughed and shrugged their shoulders in unison.

“Well, we don’t really know either.”

“We were just picked up in the first place.”

“……”

“We’ve been here for two years, but we still don’t know anything about that human. Why he’s in this village, why he’s a medicine peddler, we don’t even know if his name is his real name or not.”

“He’s never shown us a technique either.”

“Whatever happens, he solves it all with his brutish inner power. So we can’t even guess his original sect.”

A master who fell from the sky.

He had heard there were many eccentrics in the Murim, but.

“Haa, but what can we do? The moment I thought my life had fallen into the abyss, I saw with my own eyes the proof that one can become an absolute master even without a qi center. And he even accepted me as a disciple.”

Jaegal Somi picked up her chopsticks again. With a sullen face, she picked up a strand of vegetables.

“Whether it’s a rotten rope or a pseudo medicine peddler, you can’t help but grab on.”

“P-pseudo, you say. Senior Sister, you should really stop talking about the Sect Leader like that……”

“Ah, shut up, you big bear. Don’t you have any guts? Are you so happy living while washing dishes, cooking, farming, and doing laundry?”

“…Ahaha.”

With their own thoughts, the meal continued. He didn’t have much of an appetite, but Lee Byeok chewed and swallowed determinedly.

And around the time the dining table was somewhat cleared, Hyuk Dae-woong spoke again.

“Hey. Byeok-ah.”

“……”

A rather unfamiliar and friendly address.

“Um, actually, I saw your sword dance last night. I’m sorry. I know it’s not polite…. What should I say, honestly, it was amazing.”

Lee Byeok looked back at Hyuk Dae-woong.

The memory of that moment last night was as blurry as a dream.

He had been filled with joy and hadn’t even thought that someone might be watching.

“Why, Senior Sister said so yesterday too. A truly interesting swordsmanship she had never seen before.”

For a moment, an expression of ‘ugh’ crossed Jaegal Somi’s face. She glared at Hyuk Dae-woong for a moment before turning to Lee Byeok.

“Haa, alright. It’s annoying, but I’ll admit what I have to admit. It was amazing. Probably, even if both of us had our qi centers intact, I wouldn’t be able to beat you.”

“……”

Is that really so?

Lee Byeok couldn’t be sure.

If possible, he wanted to properly experience her flying dagger art, not her Three Talents Sword.

“Hey, you know. So, about that.”

Hyuk Dae-woong said.

“Anyway, we’re martial siblings now, and we’re in the same boat. So wouldn’t it be good if the three of us practiced martial arts together and progressed from now on? Huh?”

“……”

“Two is better than one, and three is better than two. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll regain our inner power and the name of the Falling Sword Sect will stand tall in the Jianghu Murim.”

A rather sly face.

Jaegal Somi stared at Hyuk Dae-woong fixedly. But soon she let out a laugh, pfft.

“Alright, alright. Enough with the nonsense. Now hurry up and clear the table, you junior brothers. The customers will be arriving soon.”

Tak, she said as she put down her chopsticks.

Lee Byeok now knew who the ‘customers’ were.

They were the village children, between the ages of 8 and under 15, living in this Flower Pavilion Village.

The Falling Sword Sect took those children as ‘lay disciples’ and taught them basic martial arts, the Thousand Character Classic, or if not that, games.

And through the entrance fees they paid or the goods they shared, the sect’s household was managed.

“Well, are you ready, kid?”

“……”

And just as Lee Jincheon had said, Lee Byeok now also had to take on the role of teaching the disciples.

Lee Byeok had thought about it on his own. But no matter how many times he thought about it, if he were to teach someone something, it would only be the sword.

“Remember. There are no servants here to feed you, wash you, and dress you. You have to earn your own keep with your own hands.”

“Byeok-ah, still, the Sect Leader doesn’t make us do meaningless things. This too must be part of a lesson to make us reflect on ourselves and gain enlightenment. I believe so.”

“Oh my!, it must be nice to be so carefree.”

* * *

Clap!

“Everyone! Now, attention!”

With a clap of his hands, Hyuk Dae-woong shouted.

“Now, let’s greet him formally! You’ve seen him for the past few days, but this is your new senior brother and swordsmanship instructor, Senior Brother Lee Byeok!”

And he gestured towards Lee Byeok. Bow, Lee Byeok bowed his head towards the children gathered in the training ground.

“I am Lee Byeok. I look forward to working with you.”

“No, wait. Why are you using the ‘hao’ form?”

Jaegal Somi pointed out.

“Isn’t it natural? Just because they are younger than me, I cannot be disrespectful to those I meet for the first time.”

“…You spoke informally to me.”

“That’s because Senior Sister did it first.”

“…Wow. I had a feeling, but this guy is a total blockhead. His name suits him so well it’s driving me crazy.”

Jaegal Somi clutched her forehead.

“Hey, you know? Since you’re the senior brother and you’re in a teaching position now, wouldn’t it be better for both of us if you spoke comfortably?”

“Is that so.”

So that’s how it is. Lee Byeok was convinced.

He turned his head back to the children.

“I stand corrected. I am Lee Byeok.”

“……”

“……”

A deep silence hung in the training ground.

“Ah, ahaha, so everyone? Senior Brother Lee Byeok, despite his appearance, is an amazing master of the sword. So if you want to polish your sword skills further, learn from Senior Brother Lee Byeok here. Got it?”

Hyuk Dae-woong continued, as if to smooth things over.

As he said, Lee Byeok had decided to teach the children the sword.

Of course, even so, he couldn’t teach the authentic Seonwoo Clan’s sword.

The teaching would be limited to the Azure River Training Sword Style.

This too was strictly a martial art of the Seonwoo Clan, but since basic sword styles were generally similar in any sword sect, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Moreover, if he only taught the form of the techniques without even the inner arts mental cultivation, it would not be easy to recognize even for a martial artist of the clan.

“……”

Now that he had turned his back on the clan, he himself was not sure whether he should continue to practice the Seonwoo Clan’s sword.

He didn’t think he could easily shed the sword path that had clung to his mind and body even if he tried to force it. But…….

“What, he doesn’t look very strong?”

“He’s our senior brother? Why?”

Then, murmuring voices began to leak out from here and there.

The children of the mountain village were big.

Lee Byeok was also tall for a fifteen-year-old, but among the children, there were quite a few who were bigger than Lee Byeok even though they were younger.

“Hmph! Forget it! What’s there to learn from a scrawny guy like that?! Brother Dae-woong! Let’s just do the usual Three Talents Sword and hurry up and play ball!”

The child standing at the very front shouted.

Not as big as Hyuk Dae-woong, but quite large-bodied. Then the children started to chime in one by one.

“……”

Not a single person tried to approach Lee Byeok. Lee Byeok looked back at Hyuk Dae-woong and Jaegal Somi.

The two who avoided his gaze.

Lee Byeok was genuinely flustered.

He intended to teach them diligently from the basics, but he didn’t expect to receive such poor treatment.

“I-I’ll learn.”

Then, a tiny voice leaked out from among the children.

And likewise, a small figure timidly approached and stood in front of Lee Byeok.

A girl with a delicate impression.

“Please teach me swordsmanship….”

“……”

A familiar face.

Lee Byeok fell into thought for a moment. Was it the child who had brought him the flower pancakes the other day?

“I-is it not allowed for a girl?”

“…No, that’s fine.”

Lee Byeok looked at the girl for a moment.

She didn’t seem to have any particular expertise in swordsmanship or martial arts. As Lee Byeok’s gaze fell on her, the girl’s shoulders hunched.

“Your name?”

“Wa-Wang Suyeon.”

“Martial arts you’ve learned?”

“A little bit of the Three Talents Sword……”

The girl’s gaze fell to the ground.

Lee Byeok thought for a moment. And he came to a conclusion. This girl… was she pitying him right now?

“…Alright. Let’s start with the basics.”

Whatever the reason, there was no problem with wanting to learn. Lee Byeok would just do what he had to do.

“U-um! But!”

“What? Do you have a question?”

“…Can I call you Byeok-i oppa?”

“……”

“…Is that not allowed?”

“Do as you’re comfortable.”

Clench, the girl clenched her fist.

Lee Byeok picked up a wooden sword from a corner of the training ground. Even if there was only one person to teach, he had no intention of doing it half-heartedly—

Whoosh, tak!

Then, a fist-sized stone flew towards Lee Byeok. The moment he sensed the danger, Lee Byeok’s sword struck the stone away.

“……”

“Hey! Jang Seok-du! What are you doing!”

“Heh! You’re the one! Why are you learning the sword from a suspicious guy like that! Stop messing around and come over here!”

“N-no! What’s it to you!”

Lee Byeok turned his gaze.

Was it that guy who threw the stone?

The big guy who was shouting boisterously at the front. When his eyes met Lee Byeok’s, instead of avoiding them, he glared back.

“What is your complaint with me?”

“What? Complaint? Hey, you bastard! Don’t mess with me! Just because I’m letting it slide, you think you can act all high and mighty because you have Brother and Sister’s backing? Huh?!”

“Seok-du!! What kind of talk is that to your senior brother!!”

“No, Brother Dae-woong! Sister Somi! This isn’t right, is it?! Even if he’s a formal disciple, why should we treat a guy who just came in the other day as our senior brother? Huh?!”

“…Uh, that’s.”

“And! Who the hell are you to teach anyone? Huh?! What am I supposed to learn from you when you’re weaker than me?!”

The child called Jang Seok-du raised his voice. Glance, he sneaked a look at Wang Suyeon standing behind Lee Byeok and flew into an even greater rage.

Spit, he spat at Lee Byeok’s feet.

“What? You pissed? Then you wanna fight? If you want to be treated like a senior brother by me, then come at me, you bastard!”

Lee Byeok looked back and forth between Jaegal Somi and Hyuk Dae-woong. Hyuk Dae-woong gave a bitter smile, and Jaegal Somi shook her head.

“I see. You’re not wrong.”

Step, Lee Byeok approached.

“That’s not a bad idea. Since I just entered the sect, it would be logical to gauge my position through a duel.”

“Heh, really? You’re not a coward, huh?”

Jang Seok-du taking one step forward.

Lee Byeok tried to approach him as well. Then Lee Byeok felt a tug on his clothes from behind.

“…B-Byeok-i oppa, don’t do it. Seok-du is the strongest in the village, so except for Dae-woong oppa, even the adults……”

“Suyeon-ah, watch me carefully. I will now show you a little of the sword you will learn.”

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