Chapter 20: Hidden Sword? Hidden Path?

Elder Shangguan was the most senior among the elders.

‘Why is an old man, who’s practically the Grand Elder, doing such a thing? Has he gone senile?’

While I was thinking such thoughts, Unit Leader Baek said with a smile.

“If you had endured a little longer, Elder Shangguan would have thrown you a martial arts manual.”

“A martial arts manual, sir?”

My eyes widened.

“Yes. He gives out a sword technique manual or a weapon. About five people have received one so far.”

I needed to practice sword techniques anyway, and a sword technique manual……

I felt like kicking myself in regret.

Yeon Ja-ryong, seemingly unaware of my feelings, asked.

“Where are you going now?”

I, who had been standing blankly, replied with a dejected look.

“I was on my way to the blacksmith’s workshop, but I got lost because I didn’t know where it was.”

“We’ll take you to the blacksmith’s workshop. Follow us.”

Baek Mu-ho readily stepped forward.

I followed Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho as they led the way.

The blacksmith’s workshop was located far from the main buildings of the Martial Alliance.

Yeon Ja-ryong, who was walking ahead, started to explain.

“Originally, members of the Four Divine Units don’t use the blacksmith’s workshop in the Martial Alliance. The weapons they bring from their families are better and more suited to them. That doesn’t mean the blacksmith’s skills are bad, though. It’s actually much better than most blacksmiths outside.”

Clang! Clang……!

As we walked along the forest path, the sound of a hammer striking metal grew closer.

“That blacksmith’s workshop has been with the Martial Alliance since its establishment eighteen years ago.”

At the end of the forest path, there was a decent-looking small tiled-roof house and two thatched huts standing side by side.

The sound of hammering was coming from the thatched hut.

“It’s been a while, elder.”

Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho greeted the blacksmith as they entered the thatched hut.

Then, an old man with unkempt hair, who was hammering a piece of red-hot metal inside the hut, straightened up and returned the greeting.

“What wind brought Young Hero Yeon and Young Hero Baek here?”

Although the old man with unkempt hair looked quite old, his body seemed sturdier than most young men.

His exposed forearms were bulging with muscles.

“We came to have a drink.”

“Hahaha……!”

The old man laughed heartily and then turned his gaze towards me, who was standing still.

“Who is this young hero?”

I quickly clasped my hands and bowed my head.

“I am Kang Dong-jae of the Black Tortoise Unit.”

“I see. You’re the hero who made a great contribution this time. Did the Chief Administrator send you?”

Even though I hadn’t said anything, the old man immediately understood why I had come here.

“Yes. I need a sword.”

“Hmm……

“Follow me.”

The old man led me to the thatched hut next door.

Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho also followed me into the thatched hut that the old man had led us to.

“Take your pick. These are all weapons used by the martial artists of the Martial Alliance.”

Inside the thatched hut, numerous weapons were hung on the walls and shelves.

I slowly examined the weapons.

Because of what Uncle Mu-hwang had told me, I tried to find something similar to the sword of the Southern Heavenly Blade Emperor, who was said to be the best under heaven.

However, there was no sword of that shape anywhere.

I looked at various swords and stopped in front of a sword with a wavy pattern on the blade.

“It’s the same shape as the sword used by the great hero, Mu-hwang Jo Yang-seung. It’s a sword commonly used by the martial artists of the Martial Alliance.”

Uncle Mu-hwang’s sword didn’t have such an elaborate wavy pattern.

According to my uncle, his sword had a small pine tree pattern on the blade.

It seemed that this misinformation had spread among the martial artists as they idolized Uncle Mu-hwang.

“Um…… Is there a sword that doesn’t look like a sword, but is still a sword?”

The old blacksmith, Yeon Ja-ryong, and Baek Mu-ho looked at me with puzzled expressions.

So I explained in more detail.

“I’m looking for a sword with a width similar to or slightly wider than a normal blade, straight and long, and with a tip that’s not centered but biased to one side. Oh, and the hilt is slightly longer than other swords.”

The old man stared at me with a strange look and then opened a door inside the hut.

The old man came back out holding a sword that was very similar to what I had described.

While other swords usually had shiny, clear blades, the blade of the sword the old man was holding had a dull sheen.

I recognized at a glance that the sword the old blacksmith was holding was the sword Uncle Mu-hwang had mentioned.

“That’s right. That’s the sword.”

I quickly reached out to take the sword, but strangely, the old man didn’t hand it over.

“Are you sure this is the sword?”

“Yes, sir.”

Only after hearing my confident answer did the old man hand over the sword he was holding.

“Where’s the scabbard?”

The old man went back inside and brought out the scabbard.

After receiving the scabbard and sheathing the sword, I grinned with satisfaction.

Then, the blacksmith, who had a hesitant expression, asked.

“Do you know what kind of sword that is?”

“No, sir.”

“I see. Use it well.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

I bowed deeply to express my gratitude.

“We’ll be going now.”

Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho also clasped their hands and bowed.

“Come visit again next time with a bottle of alcohol.”

“Yes, we will.”

“Haha……

As the three of them disappeared from sight, the old man sat down with a sigh, letting out a hollow laugh.

“Of all the swords, it had to be that one.”

The sword that Kang Dong-jae had taken was one of the most meticulously crafted weapons in the blacksmith’s workshop.

The sword most sought after by the martial artists of the Martial Alliance was Mu-hwang’s sword.

That’s why he had been making and selling them moderately.

The same went for other weapons, so he hadn’t put much effort into them.

But that sword was made with a mixture of black iron, a rare material, and he had spent a long time meticulously forging it.

He hadn’t originally intended to make a sword of that shape, but he suddenly remembered the shape of the sword that the Alliance Leader had mentioned and decided to make it.

He had thought there would be a special reason for the Alliance Leader to mention the sword, but no one had come looking for it for fifteen years.

So he had planned to take it to the Alliance Leader, but now he had ended up giving it to a strange kid.

‘I wonder if I should tell the Chief Administrator about this.’

The Chief Administrator had sent the young man with the intention of giving him a decent sword.

But the young man had snatched one of the best things in the blacksmith’s workshop.

“He’s a frustrating kid.”

Now that I had received the sword, I was about to head back to the Black Tortoise Unit.

But Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho wouldn’t let me go easily.

“I’ll buy you a drink, so let’s go together.”

Yeon Ja-ryong even put his arm around my shoulder, acting friendly.

I found his behavior a bit burdensome, but I didn’t dislike it.

“Alcohol, sir?”

“Yeah, you saved our lives, so we should have a good drink. Where should we go? Want to try a courtesan house? I know a courtesan house with beautiful courtesans.”

A courtesan house?

I had never been to a courtesan house before.

And there were beautiful courtesans there, too?

Suddenly, my heart started pounding.

I couldn’t readily accept his offer, so I pretended to decline.

“That’s a bit too much, sir.”

“Really? Then let’s go to an inn.”

‘D*mn it……’

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

I should have said I’d go to the courtesan house.

Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho took me outside the Martial Alliance.

After leaving the Martial Alliance, they walked along a deserted path.

‘There was a place like this in Yangyang?’

Yangyang was so vast that there were bound to be places I hadn’t been to, but this path was incredibly unfamiliar.

The inn they led me to was located in a rather remote area.

The old inn was built against a c*iff face.

No, it was attached to the c*iff face as if they were one.

The two of them and I opened the door and entered the inn.

The inside of the inn was quite spacious, and there were several customers seated.

But most of the customers were elderly men.

Not only the customers, but the innkeeper was also an old man.

‘How come only old people come here?’

While I was pondering this question, Baek Mu-ho spoke up.

“This is a place that every member of the Four Divine Units visits at least once.”

“Why, sir?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

As the two of them and I sat down, the old innkeeper approached and bowed.

“What can I get you?”

“This place is famous for its aged chicken（老鷄）. Please give us aged chicken. And for alcohol, we’ll have aged liquor and aged chicken.”

“Please wait a moment.”

I had never heard of a dish called aged chicken before.

It seemed like a dish unique to this inn, and judging by Yeon Ja-ryong’s confident recommendation, it must be delicious.

“Come here.”

Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho got up from their seats and led me somewhere.

The place they led me to was a wall of the inn, which was made of a c*iff face.

So this inn was built leaning against a c*iff.

“Look at this.”

Yeon Ja-ryong pointed to a spot on the c*iff face.

“Huh?”

There was something long protruding from that spot.

Looking closely, the long object was an old sword hilt.

Only the long hilt was sticking out, as if the blade was entirely embedded in the c*iff face.

“Legend has it that if you pull out this sword, you become the best under heaven.”

“No way, sir.”

I didn’t believe Yeon Ja-ryong’s words.

If someone had high internal energy, they might be able to pull out a sword embedded in a c*iff face.

Yeon Ja-ryong said with a smile.

“Then try it.”

I gathered my internal energy in both arms and grabbed the hilt with both hands.

And I exerted my strength.

“Ugh……

But the sword embedded in the c*iff face wouldn’t budge.

I became determined and poured all my internal energy into it.

“Ugh……

But this time, I only felt a slight movement; the sword didn’t move an inch.

“Sigh……

“It’s no use…… sir.”

As I let go of the hilt and sighed deeply, Yeon Ja-ryong and Baek Mu-ho laughed.

“Hahaha……

“They say the blade and the c*iff are one. It means that when the blade pierced the c*iff, the rock melted and they became one. That’s why it doesn’t move.”

“If the rock melted, the blade would have melted too, sir.”

“That’s right. That’s why it can’t be pulled out. Well, it’s a legend, though.”

The two of them and I returned to our original seats.

Just then, the alcohol was brought out, and three decently presented chickens were cooked and placed on the table.

Yeon Ja-ryong first grabbed the bottle and filled my and Baek Mu-ho’s cups with alcohol, then filled his own.

“Let’s have a drink.”

At his words, Baek Mu-ho and I raised our cups.

And we emptied them almost simultaneously.

“Eat as much as you want. It’s my treat as thanks.”

“Yes, sir.”

I picked up a piece of the aged chicken with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.

It was delicious, not spicy, savory, and chewy.

Yeon Ja-ryong, who was watching me eat the aged chicken enthusiastically, asked in a subtle voice.

“Be honest. How far have you trained in swordsmanship?”

Yeon Ja-ryong asked as he refilled my empty cup.

“I think I’ve been training for over ten years, sir.”

I confessed honestly without any lies.

“Then you must be quite skilled. You can probably manifest sword energy, right?”

“No, sir. I can’t do it at all.”

“Hmm……

He looked at my face with a serious expression.

“Really?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Kekekeke……!”

Baek Mu-ho burst out laughing as if it was amusing.

“It seems the rumor that you trained in martial arts without a master was true.”

“Who said I didn’t have a master?”

“The Chief Administrator said so.”

It seemed that the Chief Administrator had done some background checks on me.

I continued to eat the food diligently with an indifferent expression.

There was no point in explaining anyway; they wouldn’t believe me.

“I had forgotten about this place.”

Mu-hwang, who had entered the inn, looked around slowly, reminiscing.

The innkeeper was older than before, but the tables were the same as they had always been.

He had sat at those tables, drinking and laughing with his brothers.

Those were truly joyful and happy times.

He had thought those joyful and happy days would last forever.

Tears welled up in Mu-hwang’s eyes.