Episode 58. I Hope the Blade of Truth Brings Good Results
Thinking about how Jong Bi had completely outmaneuvered him, Won Seung couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated.
It didn’t make sense for a First-Rate Expert to fall for something as trivial as a hidden weapon.
Won Seung furrowed his brow.
What the heck. Everyone just thinks they're the best in their own heads, don’t they?
“Hey, do you know anyone among the experts in Xiangyang who looks like this?”
Won Seung sketched the face of the middle-aged man and showed it to Ohgu.
“I’ve never seen him before.”
“He was a Peak Master. Are there any Peak Masters in Xiangyang you haven’t told me about?”
He remembered that when he’d asked about Xiangyang before, he’d gotten a rundown of the experts’ rankings.
“As I said before, the Peak Masters of Xiangyang are the three Hua brothers and the Heavenly Observation Pavilion Master. Oh, and I’ve heard the Black Society Leader is also highly skilled…”
“Could this guy be the Black Society Leader?”
“I’m not sure, but I heard the Black Society Leader is an old man.”
“Hmmm.”
So you’re no help either.
“Find out who this guy is.”
Ohgu took the sketch of the middle-aged man and disappeared.
Next, Won Seung went to find Yong Jo-woon.
“Great Hero Yong, where do you think your martial arts rank in the Murim?”
Yong Jo-woon gave him a look, as if to ask why he was bringing this up.
“They say Cheon Il-hae and Hwa Cheon-gang are among the Hundred Great Experts. Would you say you’re one of them too?”
Yong Jo-woon had acknowledged Won Seung’s resourcefulness after he’d brought back Hwa Cheon-gang’s signature.
Normally, revealing one’s martial arts level was taboo. But since Won Seung was just a bookish scholar who knew nothing about the Murim, Yong Jo-woon decided to answer sincerely.
“When I left the mountain… my master told me to only be wary of the Ten Great Experts.”
“Oh!”
So there is some kind of standard, after all.
“What criteria does your master use to divide martial arts levels?”
“...?”
Yong Jo-woon’s eyes grew distant.
He looked like he’d never really thought about it before.
“This is an important question. If you know your own level, you can tell who to avoid and who you can fight.”
“And why does a scholar like you need to know that?”
“My followers’ lives matter too.”
When Won Seung mentioned Jong Bi and Ohgu, Yong Jo-woon nodded in understanding, then gave a rather empty answer.
“Those things don’t really matter.”
Yong Jo-woon smiled, as if he understood what he was saying.
“Your martial arts level doesn’t decide whether you live or die.”
“Still, if someone’s in the Transcendence Realm, you’d want to avoid them, right? There’s no need to pick a fight with someone a level above you.”
“Transcendence? So, beyond Peak? Haha. Why are you so obsessed with dividing things into levels?”
Ah, right. He’s the fool who’s only ever trained in the mountains.
Or maybe, at his level, he just doesn’t care about martial arts ranks anymore?
As if reading Won Seung’s thoughts, Yong Jo-woon smiled and spoke.
“When I was training, there was a huge waterfall. My master said that if I could split that waterfall in one stroke and climb it, I’d reach the Peak. I failed countless times, but eventually, I managed to cut through the waterfall and climb up with a single slash.”
“Wow! That’s amazing.”
“But when I got to the top, there was another waterfall above it.”
“It was a double waterfall? Was your master tricking you?”
At Won Seung’s cheeky remark, Yong Jo-woon frowned for a moment before replying.
“No. It was a seven-tiered waterfall.”
Won Seung’s jaw dropped.
“Whoa, a seven-tiered waterfall! I can’t believe such a place exists. It must be breathtaking.”
Yong Jo-woon smiled, shaking his head.
“That waterfall is deep in a valley, and the cliffs are so steep that you can’t see all seven tiers from below.”
“I see. Still, there must be somewhere you can see the whole thing, right? I’d love to visit someday.”
“Hmm…”
Yong Jo-woon sighed, thinking the conversation had gone off track. He tried to recall what he’d originally meant to say.
“Ahem. Anyway, after a year of training, I managed to split the first and second tiers and climb up. Then I faced the grand third tier and realized—these ‘levels’ are just endless paths ahead of me. My master made me cut the waterfall so I’d understand that.”
“I’m not sure I get what you mean.”
Won Seung tilted his head, confused. Yong Jo-woon sighed.
This guy’s so cunning—why can’t he understand this?
But Yong Jo-woon didn’t realize that Won Seung was too practical to grasp such philosophical talk.
After a moment’s thought, Yong Jo-woon said,
“Let me put it another way. Talking about martial arts levels is meaningless. If your opponent is stronger, you die. If not, he dies.”
“That’s true, but that’s not the answer I was looking for…”
Maybe it’s because he’s only ever trained in the mountains, but Great Hero Yong really isn’t much of a talker.
Yong Jo-woon pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“You’re a scholar, so let me use an academic comparison. Imagine two people studying at the same academy, with similar skills. They both take the imperial exam, but one of them happens to get a question he’s seen before.”
Hmm, is that really a good analogy?
“The lucky one who gets the familiar question passes and becomes a prodigy, while the other fails. But can you really say their academic skills are that different?”
“That’s not it. In the imperial exams, background and bribes matter more than skill. Why do you think the guy knew the question in advance? He must’ve gotten it ahead of time.”
Won Seung suddenly remembered Master Gong, the failed scholar who used to grumble about how unfair the exams were back at Won Manor.
Yong Jo-woon frowned at Won Seung’s words.
“I’m not talking about corruption. I mean, can a single exam question really be the standard for judging someone’s academic ability?”
“Aha!”
Won Seung nodded. Luck definitely plays a part in the exams. If you get a question you know, you’ll do well. If not, you’ll flounder and fail.
Then a thought occurred to Won Seung.
“Luck is a skill too. And there must be some difference between them, or the results wouldn’t be different.”
“That could be… But think about it. Some people are good with the saber, others with the spear. If you judge by saber techniques, one is the expert; by spear, the other. If they fight, who knows who’ll win? But if the duel takes place in a narrow cave, the one with the saber has the advantage. So even if the saber-wielder wins, you can’t say he’s higher-ranked than the spear-wielder.”
“Then there’s no standard at all.”
“Exactly. Don’t trust the world’s standards. Everything is relative.”
“Isn’t that a strange thing to say for someone who seeks the one and only Blade Intent? If what you say is true, even if you attain the unique Blade Intent, can you really call it unique?”
Yong Jo-woon nodded.
“That’s why so few ever attain it. But that’s what makes it worth pursuing.”
“Isn’t that just chasing an illusion?”
It was a unique interpretation, but to Won Seung, it sounded like nothing more than a pipe dream.
Yong Jo-woon looked up at the night sky and spoke.
“It’s not an illusion. If I attain the one and only Blade Intent, I could even challenge the Ten Great Experts.”
“Whoa… The Ten Great Experts are in the Transformation Realm, right? So you’re saying you’re almost in the Transformation Realm yourself?”
Yong Jo-woon shook his head.
“True Realm means you’ve completed the lower dantian, and Transformation Realm means you’ve completed the heart dantian. If you want to divide martial arts levels by that, I’ll accept it. But that can’t be the standard for life and death.”
“Ah… So you’re saying martial arts level and actual combat are different things?”
After all, even Won Seung himself had managed to escape the terrifying grip of that middle-aged man with nothing but a wasp sting and a bit of trickery.
“Exactly.”
“Still, people call someone a Peak Master and fear them.”
“That’s the real illusion.”
Yong Jo-woon spoke firmly, holding up his saber.
“The truth is decided by the blade. I trust the saber in my hand.”
Oh… Great Hero Yong! Maybe a bit rough around the edges, but he really does have the air of a true hero!
Won Seung was secretly impressed.
The truth is decided by the blade… It sounded like a magnificent phrase.
Won Seung took out a wooden box from his robe and handed it over.
“What’s this?”
“Spiritual medicine. It’ll help with your internal energy cultivation.”
Yong Jo-woon looked at Won Seung in surprise. Sensing he might refuse out of pride, Won Seung quickly spoke up.
“Everyone knows you’re staying here. If you lose a martial arts duel and die, I might get blamed for it. So take this and keep your strength up. By now, Cheon Il-hae and Hwa Cheon-gang have probably taken every spiritual medicine they can get their hands on. This isn’t cheating.”
Yong Jo-woon nodded and accepted the box.
He, too, felt the pressure of having to fight two of the Hundred Great Experts in a row.
“There are ten pills. After you take them, make sure to do your cultivation practice.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
Won Seung patted Yong Jo-woon’s shoulder.
“I hope the blade of truth brings you good results.”
Won Seung considered telling Yong Jo-woon about what had happened to him, but decided against it. Yong Jo-woon still thought of him as just a bookish scholar, and would surely wonder how he’d escaped the grip of that middle-aged man.
So, Won Seung left to find Blood Flower.
Blood Flower, the Sea Mist Sect’s Special-Grade Assassin, was staying in Won Seung’s study.
‘He must have killed countless people by now, right? That means his assessment of martial arts levels should be spot on.’
Blood Flower was practicing cultivation. Since his external wounds hadn’t fully healed, he was focusing on treating his internal injuries.
When Won Seung entered, Blood Flower, who had been sitting in meditation, opened his eyes.
“What is it?”
“How’s your recovery?”
Won Seung asked in a very gentle voice.
Blood Flower, the Sea Mist Sect’s Special-Grade Assassin, was a very useful person.
Since he was still active, unlike Yong Jo-woon, he probably had all sorts of information about the current underbelly of the Murim.
Plus, since the Sea Mist Sect and Red Blood Mountain were bitter enemies, he might come in handy someday.
So Won Seung’s voice was as soft as could be.
Blood Flower, too, had become much less wary, since Won Seung had treated him without any ulterior motives.
Won Seung checked Blood Flower’s pulse and said,
“You’re much better now. But there’s still some Peerless Technique energy left, so you need to be careful.”
“...”
“By the way, as a Special-Grade Assassin of the Sea Mist Sect, your martial arts must be at least First-class, right?”
Blood Flower’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Won Seung.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Blood Flower stared at Won Seung for a moment before speaking.
“You hide your own martial arts, but you want to know about mine. What’s your intention?”
‘Gasp!’
Won Seung had gone to great lengths to hide the fact that he practiced martial arts. Even Yong Jo-woon, a master, didn’t know.
But how did Blood Flower figure it out?
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? You’re a cut above those Song or Woo family guys, aren’t you?”
He’d come to probe Blood Flower, but now he was the one being probed.
As expected of a Special-Grade Assassin—his instincts were razor-sharp.
“Why do you think that?”
“...”
Blood Flower clammed up.
‘Did Jong Bi brag and let it slip?’
Jong Bi came to mind, but Won Seung quickly dismissed the thought. Jong Bi had been acting a bit strange lately, but not to that extent.
As Won Seung looked at Blood Flower, he suddenly realized—