****
Cheon Seon-hak blamed himself.
It was because although he had known that the family was being ruined, he had not known that it had festered to this extent.
‘I have lived so very cowardly until now.’
Cheon Seon-hak had not stepped forward, leaving everything concerning the family to Cheon Wi-gang.
He had merely been engrossed only in the task of thoroughly training the next generation of martial artists.
‘Wanting to remain a martial artist… in the end, it was no different from neglecting the family.’
He had wanted to remain a martial artist.
However, the thought that that choice might have instead caused the Cheon Family to fester enveloped Cheon Seon-hak.
‘Just what a lonely fight have you been fighting all this time, Hyung-nim.’
Cheon Wi-gang was a man so strong he was called an iron wall.
And so, he had thought there would be no problem.
When Cheon Wi-gang reached the state of Hwagyeong, he thought that the issue of legitimacy surrounding Cheon Wi-gang had also been cleanly resolved.
However, it was not so.
That had been nothing more than Cheon Seon-hak's misunderstanding.
‘I did not know because he did not show it. No, perhaps I did not want to see it. Because I… wanted to remain a noble martial artist.’
The training ground where no one was present.
In its center, Cheon Seon-hak stood blankly alone, holding a sword.
‘It is heavy.’
Even though it was a sword he had held his entire life, its weight felt particularly heavy today.
‘What was the reason I held this sword?’
He could not readily give an answer to that.
Perhaps it was because he had lived a life different from the answer of wanting to protect the family.
‘I was wrong.’
He admitted his mistake.
Cheon Seon-hak could not think of anything about how he should hold the sword.
Thud.
And so, he dropped the sword.
‘I am not qualified.’
It was because he thought he no longer had the right to hold the family's sword.
Suddenly, Cheon Mu-ryang came to mind.
‘The child I had thought to be nothing but a scoundrel is now trying to change the family.’
Now who was the scoundrel?
Cheon Seon-hak looked at the sky.
Far in the east, the sun was rising.
“Nothing whatsoever can disrupt the sky of the Cheon Family.”
Cheon Seon-hak had discarded his sword, but he grasped a new one.
Whoooong!
Although he grasped nothing, an aura blossomed as if he were holding a sword.
Holding the invisible sword, Cheon Seon-hak brandished it as if he were dancing.
He forgot everything.
When he had forgotten even the sky of the Cheon Family.
Cheon Seon-hak felt a thrill.
“Ah….”
The sky split apart.
Furthermore, a wall crumbled.
Behind the world where that wall had crumbled, the horizon of a new realm, which only the chosen could enter, came into view.
Paaat!
That light pooled in Cheon Seon-hak's two eyes.
Could this be the gaze of an absolute being who looks down upon the entire world.
“I have achieved Hwagyeong.”
Cheon Seon-hak, who had been between the pinnacle and the verge of Hwagyeong, had finally reached the very entrance of complete Hwagyeong.
The birth of a new absolute being took place in the empty training ground.
Though it was the realm he had desired so much, upon actually reaching it, Cheon Seon-hak was instead detached.
“This power… is not mine.”
Cheon Mu-ryang.
“I shall wield it for you.”
Cheon Mu-ryang had said it.
To become his shield.
“A shield, you asked me to become a shield, did you.”
However, Cheon Seon-hak had no intention of being only a shield.
“I shall become a sword as well.”
Cheon Seon-hak was certain that his decision to support Cheon Mu-ryang was correct.
“You do what you have to do. I will move in my own way.”
He decided not to be silent any longer.
It was just as Cheon Mu-ryang had said.
While seeking to sever the sky, what could there be to fear.
“Neung Ryeo-woon. Cha Myeong-hak.”
The first to reveal themselves in the empty training ground were Neung Ryeo-woon and Cha Myeong-hak.
And at almost the same time, Wol-yeong also arrived at the training ground with determined eyes.
“We greet the Grand Master!”
“Assemble all of the Cheonryong Sword Squad and the Cheonbong Sword Squad.”
“…!”
“Go.”
“Yes!”
Without knowing the reason.
Neung Ryeo-woon and Cha Myeong-hak moved as Cheon Seon-hak commanded.
“You said your name is Wol-yeong.”
“Yes, Grand Master.”
“What is your goal?”
“My goal?”
“Yes. I am asking what your goal is, what you wish to do by learning martial arts.”
It was a different atmosphere from usual.
However, Wol-yeong spoke resolutely without a hint of hesitation.
“I want to become a source of strength for the Young Master.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. That is all.”
Hwoong!
Cheon Seon-hak was clearly not holding a sword.
However, Wol-yeong felt a sharpness as if a single sword was aimed right at her neck.
“It is not enough. You can never become strong with just that.”
An abstract will to simply become someone's strength was insufficient.
A firm resolve was needed.
Cheon Seon-hak intended to instill that resolve in her.
“Th, th, then….”
“…?”
“If I’m going to do it anyway….”
Wol-yeong rarely expressed her emotions.
And so, her ice-cold impression stood out.
The only times such a Wol-yeong revealed her emotions were when it was related to Cheon Mu-ryang.
This was such a moment.
Wol-yeong's eyes, which had been cold as ice, melted.
“I want to become a scabbard where the Young Master can rest.”
“A scabbard, you say….”
The corners of Cheon Seon-hak’s mouth gently curled up.
‘He said, 『She is a child who saw through the true meaning of my sword at a single glance.』 and it seems he was right.’
The statement that Wol-yeong had seen through Cheon Mu-ryang's sword was not a lie.
Because Cheon Mu-ryang had already become a single sword.
The sharper the sword, the more necessary a scabbard was.
“Good. However, you must remember that the more famous the sword, the more the scabbard must also be so.”
“Yes. I am prepared.”
“Good. Do not forget that resolve.”
Cheon Seon-hak picked up his sword that had fallen to the ground.
Then, he extended that sword to Wol-yeong.
“Take it. From now on, it is your sword.”
“M-me? This is….”
“I have no need for it.”
“…Thank you.”
Cheon Seon-hak was a pillar of the Cheon Family.
To hold the sword of such a person was by no means a light matter.
Wol-yeong could not yet be called a martial artist, but she knew the weight of a sword.
“From today, you will begin to train with the sword. Your task is….”
It was at that moment.
The members of the Cheonryong Sword Squad and the Cheonbong Sword Squad, summoned by Neung Ryeo-woon and Cha Myeong-hak, were coming to the training ground in their respective formations.
“Including myself, steal the swords of those men.”
“Pardon?”
At Cheon Seon-hak's abrupt words, Wol-yeong held a question.
Steal, she thought, how was she supposed to steal their swords.
“It means to watch their swords and make them your own.”
“Ah….”
Wol-yeong understood those words.
It was synonymous with the instruction to watch the sword.
“One month. I shall give you one month. Within that time, you will have to create a sword of your own.”
“Yes.”
Wol-yeong steeled her resolve.
Watching this, Cheon Seon-hak nodded his head.
“Has everyone arrived?”
“Yes, Grand Master.”
They stared at Wol-yeong.
To be precise, they saw the sword of Cheon Seon-hak that Wol-yeong was holding.
“Could it be….”
The commanders of the Cheonryong Sword Squad and the Cheonbong Sword Squad were disciples personally raised by Cheon Seon-hak.
That was why they were the first to realize what it meant that Cheon Seon-hak had let go of his sword.
“Grand Master… congratulations!”
“……”
The commander of the Cheonryong Sword Squad was overcome with emotion, and the commander of the Cheonbong Sword Squad, though expressionless, was seen congratulating him with silence.
“Thank you. I shall tell you the reason for assembling you at such an early hour.”
A certain immense energy that could not be described with words was felt from Cheon Seon-hak.
It was something that could be called a certain resolve, something that could not be felt before.
“Until now, I have sought to remain a martial artist.”
Cheon Seon-hak was a martial artist.
A martial artist like a rock that is not swayed by anything.
“However, not anymore.”
“…!”
Kuuung!
Everyone's heart dropped.
It was because the meaning of those words was clear.
Cheon Seon-hak met everyone's eyes.
Not a single person avoided Cheon Seon-hak's gaze and met it straight on.
“Now, I intend to raise my sword for the Grand Young Lord of the Cheon Family.”
“……”
Everyone was silent.
This was because Cheon Seon-hak's remark was something that the Grand Master of the Cheonryong Sword Squad and the Cheonbong Sword Squad should not say.
“And so, as of this hour today, I will step down from the position of Grand Master.”
“Gr-Grand Master!”
The commander of the Cheonryong Sword Squad was flustered.
The position of Grand Master was a very symbolic one, a type of honorary post.
“I will not tell you to follow me.”
“……”
“However, just as at any other time, I hope that the Cheonryong Sword Squad and the Cheonbong Sword Squad will maintain neutrality.”
Why was it.
Cheon Seon-hak felt a sense of relief rather than disappointment.
“You have all worked hard until now.”
“…Thank you, Grand Master.”
Everyone knew.
That Cheon Seon-hak would never withdraw this decision.
“I shall give you one final lesson.”
Cheon Seon-hak's martial art was unique.
And so, no one had been able to learn Cheon Seon-hak's martial art.
It was because their understanding of the sky was insufficient.
“Heok!”
However, even if it wasn't the sky.
There was still a gift left to give them.
Paaat!
In Cheon Seon-hak's empty right hand, a single blue stem sprouted vibrantly.
Kugugugugugung!
With just that, an aura that overwhelmed their entire bodies blossomed.
“Sw-sword aura…!”
All of them were first-rate masters capable of raising sword ki.
As sword aura was ultimately an extension of sword ki, it was nothing to be surprised about.
“Open your eyes wide and watch.”
However, Cheon Seon-hak's sword aura was different.
The sword aura, which had blossomed into a complete sword, was exerting enough pressure to distort the surrounding atmosphere.
“Keuk!”
And so, those with relatively weaker martial skills found it difficult to even stand.
Hwoooong!
The sword soared into the air.
And Cheon Seon-hak brought it straight down towards the earth.
“Ah….”
A shower of light, so bright it seemed it would blind them, spread out in all directions.
“Continue to devote yourselves further to your martial arts.”
With those words, Cheon Seon-hak left the training ground.
Nothing could stop Cheon Seon-hak's unburdened footsteps.
“Is this freedom.”
For the first time in a while, Cheon Seon-hak became alone and left the Cheon Family estate.
<><><>
Cheon Mu-ryang arrived in Shaoxing.
Shaoxing was the territory of the Cheon Family.
The So-eung Gang had only been recognized for its rights over Shaoxing as a qualification of their alliance with the Cheon Family.
“Hmm….”
Shaoxing was near Hangzhou.
And so, as a town that those seeking Hangzhou passed through, the streets were lined with stalls.
“The atmosphere is strange.”
However, the atmosphere was strange.
Although their income should have been decent as the commercial area was well-developed, their appearances were gaunt and emaciated.
“……”
Cheon Mu-ryang strolled around, looking at his surroundings as if he were a customer.
He was able to discover a commonality.
‘A sense of fear can be felt.’
From all of them, a sense of fear was felt.
What on earth were they afraid of.
However, not far away, he was able to find the source of that fear.
“You have to pay the spot tax, don't you!”
“Aigo, didn't you collect it just a while ago….”
“That was the protection tax! The spot tax is separate. You don't want to do business here?”
Those called ruffians were in the middle of acting violently.
‘The So-eung Gang….’
If not, there was no way mere ruffians would be committing such an act.
Cheon Mu-ryang watched what they were doing with cold eyes.
“Money! Money! Hand over the money! If you did business, you should pay up, shouldn't you!”
Clang!
The men, who were acting violently as if to destroy the shop, began to smash all sorts of fixtures.
“Aigo! Aigo!”
However, the couple who appeared to be the shop owners only knelt and begged.
There was nothing they could do.
“I do not understand.”
He could not understand it at all.
This place was Shaoxing.
In other words, it was the territory of the Cheon Family.
And.
“The Cheon Family would have certainly forbidden such exploitation.”
“Huh? What’s this?”
Seeing Cheon Mu-ryang walking over, the ruffians of the So-eung Gang snickered.
“Stop it. Go on your way, don't step up out of youthful vigor and see blood needlessly.”
“I will ask just one thing.”
“What?”
“Are you from the So-eung Gang?”
“What kind of bullshit is that.”
“I asked if the So-eung Gang is the one exploiting people.”
“Ha, this bastard really. Where do you get off mentioning the So-eung Gang.”
Glance.
The man who appeared to be the leader gave a look.
Several men surrounded Cheon Mu-ryang.
“Rough him up a little.”
“Yes.”
The man closest to him threw a punch towards Cheon Mu-ryang.
At that moment, as the Cheon-gwang flashed, the man's wrist was severed.
Thud.
“Kuaaaaargh!”
“I will not kill you. That should fall under the category of roughing you up a little, right?”
Chaeng!
All at once, every one of them drew their swords.