The Woo Sword Vies for Supremacy
Three days after leaving the Guan Di shrine, Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang arrived at a village of considerable size.
The village of five hundred households hummed with life.
On terraced paddies carved into the hillside, farmers toiled under streams of sweat, and down in the village below, people gathered in the open yard to work together.
Some turned millstones to grind grain into flour while others dressed meat—it looked as though the whole village was preparing a meal together.
"Look, outsiders."
"Really?"
The villagers' expressions hardened the moment they spotted the two figures entering the village.
This was a remote village, far from any main road.
With scarcely any contact with the outside world, few people even knew of its existence.
It was too remote for anyone to wander into by chance, so the villagers' first instinct at the sight of strangers was wariness.
Woo Geom-san and Baek Ho-yang noticed the hostile atmosphere.
"It seems they don't welcome us."
"So it appears. Their eyes are clouded with suspicion."
Baek Ho-yang wore a pained expression.
He was accustomed to this sort of reaction from people.
He had witnessed many times how the ongoing war between the Heavenly Mandate Society and the Nine Great Sects had poisoned the hearts of common folk.
War inevitably bred victims, and people's lives were bound to grow wretched.
Both the Heavenly Mandate Society and the Nine Great Sects wielded immense power, so the war between them could not help but harm countless innocents.
Because of that, many people's first instinct upon seeing outsiders was to be on their guard.
Just then, the oldest-looking man in the village approached the two with a group of sturdy young men in tow.
The old man surveyed his surroundings and spoke.
"I am the village chief. Who are you, and where do you come from?"
"My name is Baek Ho-yang. This child is my grandson."
"What brings you to our village?"
"We were fleeing from river pirates and ended up here."
"Is that the truth?"
Even at Baek Ho-yang's words, the village chief did not let down his guard.
At that moment, Woo Geom-san pulled up his shirt to reveal his wounds.
"These are wounds from the river pirates."
Only after seeing the wound on Woo Geom-san's chest did the village chief finally relent.
"You were lucky. To be alive with a wound that large."
"Had fortune not smiled upon us, we would never have survived. Which is why I must ask—might you allow us to stay for just one day? We will rest today and leave first thing tomorrow."
Baek Ho-yang spoke as humbly as he could.
At his courteous request, the village chief's expression wavered with brief indecision.
Villages as remote as this one did not let outsiders in lightly. There was no telling when a stranger might turn out to be a bandit or a thief.
But the visitors were a white-haired old man and a wounded boy.
They hardly seemed like a threat to the village.
The village chief glanced at the young men who had come with him.
The young men exchanged looks and nodded.
In their estimation, too, the two posed no danger.
Having gathered everyone's opinion, the village chief gave his permission.
"We cannot turn away guests who come to us wounded. Come in."
"Thank you. I will never forget this kindness."
"Kindness, nothing. Just do not blame us for the humble hospitality."
"How could we? A place to sleep is more than enough to be grateful for."
"I will give you a room. When it is time to eat, I will send someone to call you."
The village chief beckoned one of the young men.
"Take them to the room at the far end of my house."
"Understood."
The young man answered with a deep bow.
His manner alone showed how much the young men of this village respected their chief.
The young man led Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san to the village chief's house.
The chief's house was the largest in the village, even boasting a separate stable.
Baek Ho-yang asked the young man who guided them.
"You keep horses as well? The upkeep must not be cheap."
"They are a communal asset of the village. We use them mainly for clearing paddies or carrying harvests to other villages to sell."
"Ah!"
"The chief's property is simply the most spacious, so we keep them here. They are never used for private purposes."
"I see."
"Here we are. You may sleep in this room. There is a well out front as well, so you are welcome to draw water and wash."
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san bowed their heads in gratitude to the young man.
The young man returned the bow and withdrew.
Once the two were alone, Baek Ho-yang spoke to Woo Geom-san.
"It is fortunate the villagers took us in. Let us rest here today and leave tomorrow."
"Yes."
Woo Geom-san answered weakly.
Fatigue was written plainly across his face.
Three days of pushing himself to follow Baek Ho-yang had taken their toll.
Walking with a body far from whole, trying to imitate Baek Ho-yang's stride—there was hardly a part of him that did not ache.
What truly wore on Woo Geom-san was not the physical exhaustion, but the fact that despite all that effort, he still had not uncovered the secret hidden in Baek Ho-yang's steps.
It should not have been fast, yet it was. It should have required effort, yet Baek Ho-yang glided forward effortlessly.
It felt as though the earth itself was pushing Baek Ho-yang along.
As if Baek Ho-yang was not walking by his own power, but the earth was moving him of its own accord.
By Woo Geom-san's understanding, it was a phenomenon utterly beyond comprehension.
He had asked several times how Baek Ho-yang could walk like that, but each time the old man said he had to figure it out for himself.
That if he kept imitating it, he would feel it one day.
"Haah......"
"If you are going to sigh like that, you might as well go wash up instead."
"Yes!"
Woo Geom-san walked over to the well.
Now that he thought about it, he had not washed properly in ages, and after walking so long, his body itched all over.
He drew water and poured it over his head.
The moment the cold water touched his skin, his mind snapped awake.
He doused himself several more times, washing every speck of dust from his body. Once clean, his mood brightened and the dark thoughts faded away.
Looking refreshed, Woo Geom-san lay down in the room. And immediately fell asleep.
Three days of accumulated fatigue erupted all at once.
He was out cold before he knew it.
Baek Ho-yang gazed at the snoring Woo Geom-san with a tender expression.
"It is only natural to be exhausted and anxious."
He rolled up his sleeves and began to meticulously massage Woo Geom-san's entire body.
It was meridian-pressing and acupoint-activation performed through the Nine Heavens Soul Recovery Art.
Not only did it correct the disordered flow of qi and blood within the body, but it also relieved fatigue—truly the finest healing art there was.
The Nine Heavens Soul Recovery Art, channeled through Baek Ho-yang's pure and gentle inner force, eliminated every impurity that had accumulated in Woo Geom-san's body.
As the Nine Heavens Soul Recovery Art continued, the face of Woo Geom-san—who had collapsed into sleep as though knocked unconscious—grew peaceful.
"The rascal, too......"
Seeing the smile that rose to Woo Geom-san's lips, a similar smile appeared on Baek Ho-yang's face.
It had been only a few days since they began traveling together, yet he had already grown deeply attached to Woo Geom-san.
Having spent his entire life alone, training in martial arts, Woo Geom-san stirred in him the kind of affection he imagined one would feel for a true grandchild.
The emotion was unfamiliar, having never felt it before, but it was not at all unpleasant.
Rather, it brought him joy.
And so he performed the Nine Heavens Soul Recovery Art with even greater care.
What he paid particular attention to was Woo Geom-san's qi center.
Woo Geom-san's qi center, gravely damaged, was as precarious as a glass vessel riddled with cracks.
In this state, no matter how diligently he worked a mental cultivation art, his inner arts would not accumulate.
Like pouring water into a jar with no bottom, the qi would not stay but simply leak away.
As a martial artist, it was tantamount to a death sentence.
Any other sect would have expelled Woo Geom-san the moment they discovered his condition.
That was how fatal his problem was.
Baek Ho-yang knew Woo Geom-san's condition better than anyone. Yet he had accepted the boy because he saw hope in him.
A secret teaching known to no one under heaven—unique to the Quanzhen Sect alone.
If the secret was one that only Baek Ho-yang knew, then even Woo Geom-san's imperfect qi center could be put to sufficient use.
Of course, the path to reach that point would be anything but easy.
It would require a steadfast heart and the kind of patience that never yields to despair.
'The Foolish Old Man Moves Mountains. The old man who quarries stone in silence, without a stray thought, is the one who moves the mountain in the end. You must become that kind of person.'
***
"Time to eat!"
Woo Geom-san's deep slumber was broken by a young man's loud voice.
"Did I sleep long?"
"About a couple of hours, I think."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"You were sleeping so soundly I left you be."
"You should have woken me......"
Embarrassed, Woo Geom-san scratched the back of his head.
Normally, Woo Geom-san never napped during the day.
His stamina had been so good that he could run and play or train in martial arts all day without tiring.
But since sustaining his deep wounds, his stamina had dropped dramatically.
"Haah......"
Woo Geom-san let out a sigh without realizing it.
His circumstances, which had plummeted so steeply in a matter of days, filled him with bitterness.
But he quickly steeled his resolve and rose to his feet.
"I'm hungry, so let's go eat."
"Let us. It would be rude to decline an invitation."
Baek Ho-yang nodded and stepped outside.
In truth, he had no need for regular food.
Having eaten nothing but fasting pills his entire life, cooked meals were an unnecessary formality. But if he stayed behind, Woo Geom-san would have to sit alone among strangers, nervously watching their every move.
Even if he did not eat, going along seemed better for Woo Geom-san's sake.
The young man led the two to the village's open yard.
Spread across the yard was enough food for every villager to eat their fill.
Woo Geom-san asked the young man.
"Is today some kind of celebration?"
"It is a day to celebrate the safe birth of the village chief's grandson."
"The chief's grandson?"
"That is right. A grandson the chief has waited a long time for."
The chief had a son who had been married for many years. But his son had fathered only three daughters and no sons.
After ten years, just when they had given up hope of ever having a grandson, his daughter-in-law became pregnant, and this time, they were blessed with the long-awaited grandson.
Overjoyed at the birth of his grandson, the chief decided to hold a village feast, and that day was today.
Upon hearing the story, Baek Ho-yang nodded.
"We are lucky. They let us in because it is an auspicious day."
"Indeed."
Woo Geom-san agreed.
It was a feast day for the grandson.
The chief had clearly feared that turning away visitors on such a joyous occasion might invite bad fortune.
The two were shown to a table in the corner of the yard.
Though it was a corner seat, the food laid out was no different from the other tables.
From meat to wheat cakes, pastries, and dumplings—the variety was impressive.
The dishes were neatly arranged, clearly prepared with great care.
GURGLE!
Woo Geom-san felt a fierce pang of hunger.
He had been eating Baek Ho-yang's fasting pills at mealtimes, but for a boy in the midst of his growth, they were not quite enough.
The villagers were enjoying their meal, delighted at the rare feast.
Laughter and chatter flowed without pause.
Baek Ho-yang picked up his chopsticks and said.
"Let us eat as well."
"Yes!"
Woo Geom-san went straight for the meat.
Nothing beat meat for replenishing flagging stamina.
Watching Woo Geom-san wolf down the meat, Baek Ho-yang moved his chopsticks too.
The only food he could tolerate was the wheat cakes. Even those he only pretended to eat, taking small bites without actually swallowing.
For someone who had eaten nothing but fasting pills for so long, food like this was practically poison.
It was not actually poison, of course, but the aversion he felt was that severe. So he only made a show of eating without swallowing a single morsel.
Woo Geom-san, on the other hand, shoveled food down as if someone might steal it.
"Eat slowly. You will give yourself a stomachache."
"Yes!"
Woo Geom-san answered with his mouth stuffed full. The sight was so comical that Baek Ho-yang could not help but smile.
"Thank you all for gathering to celebrate my grandson's birth. Thanks to each of you, our grandson has arrived safely."
In the center of the yard, the village chief held his grandson with a beaming smile and offered his thanks.
Those who had been eating rose one by one to offer kind wishes for the grandson's bright future.
The chief cradled his grandson like the rarest treasure in the world and made the rounds from table to table.
His son and daughter-in-law followed close behind.
Having greeted every villager, the chief's family at last arrived at the table where Baek Ho-yang and Woo Geom-san sat.
The two rose from their seats and spoke.
"Congratulations on welcoming the grandson you have waited for."
"I sincerely congratulate you on the birth of your grandson."
"Ha ha! Thank you. We have not prepared much, but please eat your fill. If anything is lacking, just say the word. We will bring as much as you need."
Unlike his gruff manner when he first received the two, the village chief now shared warm laughter and easy conversation with them.
It was then.
"I thought I smelled something rich and savory—and here a feast is under way. We could not have arrived at a better time. Master of the house, we would be grateful if you set a table for us as well. Heh heh heh!"
A coarse voice rang out from somewhere.