Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 22

022. Qi Deviation

“Yes, what is it that you suddenly need to ask me, Scholar Un?”

At Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s words, Un-hyun raised his head as if waking from a reverie.

“Ah, I apologize. Just for a moment…….”

It was Un-hyun who had urgently requested Instructor Il Chung-hyun to come to this small building.

However, upon arriving at the building, Un-hyun stared blankly at the empty space as if lost in thought, and remained silent.

As Instructor Il Chung-hyun, who had been waiting, gently urged him, Un-hyun’s gaze finally returned to Il Chung-hyun.

“It’s alright.”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun replied with a gentle expression.

Un-hyun lowered his gaze slightly and spoke softly.

“Actually, the wooden sword you gave me a while ago has become unusable.”

With those words, Un-hyun fell silent again for a while.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun quietly watched him before cautiously asking.

“Has there been any change in your training?”

Un-hyun looked surprised and raised his head to look at Instructor Il Chung-hyun.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun responded with a smile.

He already knew that Un-hyun wouldn’t show such an expression just because a wooden sword had become unusable.

“I see…….”

Un-hyun gave a hollow laugh.

Indeed, he couldn’t hide anything from Instructor Il Chung-hyun.

Un-hyun sighed softly, but his face was brighter.

He looked like someone who had been unable to find anyone to confide in, but had finally met the right person.

“Um, Instructor Il Chung-hyun.”

Un-hyun looked at Instructor Il Chung-hyun with a serious expression.

“Could it be that I’ve fallen into Qi Deviation [a dangerous imbalance of internal energy]?”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun almost burst out laughing.

He had been wondering what Un-hyun was going to say with such a serious face, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, came the words ‘Qi Deviation’.

However, Instructor Il Chung-hyun couldn’t laugh. Un-hyun’s eyes were quite serious.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun quietly looked at Un-hyun before shaking his head.

“No. That is not the case.”

However, Un-hyun asked again with an anxious look.

“Are you sure? Are you really sure it’s not Qi Deviation?”

“No.”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun said definitively.

“If Scholar Un had really fallen into Qi Deviation, he wouldn’t even be able to stand before me like this.”

‘Qi Deviation’ mainly refers to a situation where one’s internal energy and true energy are severely damaged due to an accident during internal energy cultivation.

In many cases, one loses all the martial arts they have built up over a lifetime, or their life is endangered, and there are also many cases where they have to spend their lives as an invalid.

However, the reason why Un-hyun was not suffering from Qi Deviation was not only because he didn’t have these symptoms.

In the first place, what Qi Deviation could possibly befall a scholar who didn’t have tremendous internal energy or high-level training?

At Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s firm answer, Un-hyun finally looked relieved.

“Hoo, I see.”

Un-hyun let out a small sigh and unconsciously cast his gaze towards the empty space next to the building.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun asked Un-hyun.

“What made you think you might be suffering from Qi Deviation, Scholar Un?”

“Actually…….”

Un-hyun slowly turned his head.

“I think I’ve seen the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword Style.”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s eyes widened.

“You’ve seen the conclusion, so you’re saying you’ve seen the end of the sword style?”

Seeing the end of a sword style is never an easy task. No, it’s almost an impossible task.

It’s not a matter of whether you’ve mastered the sword style or not.

Seeing the end of a sword style is only possible when you have awakened all the sword intent contained within it.

It was a difficult task even for the masters of the Jianghu [the martial arts world], so how could a scholar who was not even a martial artist see the end of a sword style?

However, Un-hyun’s answer to Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s question was ambiguous.

“Maybe…… I think so.”

‘Maybe?’

Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“What do you mean by ‘I think so’?”

It doesn’t make sense that someone who has awakened the sword intent doesn’t even know whether they have awakened it or not.

Doesn’t that ultimately mean they haven’t awakened it?

“Explain in detail, Scholar Un.”

Un-hyun opened his mouth as if sighing.

“I definitely saw it. But…… I don’t know.”

“You saw it but don’t know?”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun frowned. He repeated Un-hyun’s words, creasing his brow.

“I saw it. But I can’t say I understood it, and I can’t say I was convinced by it, so I can’t say I knew it. I can’t even explain what it is to myself, so I can’t say I realized it. I just…… just saw it. That’s all.”

Un-hyun looked at Instructor Il Chung-hyun as if he himself was frustrated.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun looked into Un-hyun’s eyes with a serious gaze.

After looking at Un-hyun for a while, Instructor Il Chung-hyun smiled.

“Congratulations, Scholar Un.”

“Yes?”

Un-hyun asked back with a bewildered expression. However, Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s smile was relaxed.

“The reason why they didn’t directly convey enlightenment and only left behind the training sword style is because that enlightenment cannot be conveyed in words. So isn’t it natural that Scholar Un can’t explain it even if he has realized it?”

However, despite Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s explanation, Un-hyun tilted his head.

“I think it’s a little different from that…….”

There are definitely things that cannot be explained in words. But even so, shouldn’t you at least know it yourself?

No matter how he thought about it, it was hard to see that he had realized anything. All he could say was, ‘I saw it.’

Instructor Il Chung-hyun spoke softly to Un-hyun, who was frowning and tilting his head.

“Would you show me the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword Style that Scholar Un saw?”

Seeing is believing. If Un-hyun just showed him the sword style once, he would know what it was that he kept saying he ‘saw’.

“Ah, um…… my wooden sword is…….”

Un-hyun trailed off.

“Oh, right, you said earlier that your wooden sword became unusable?”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun unsheathed his sword from his waist.

“Use this sword for now.”

Un-hyun’s eyes widened as Instructor Il Chung-hyun held out his sword.

“How can I use Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s sword…….”

A gentle smile spread across Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s lips.

“It’s alright. What’s the big deal about lending it for a while? Besides, isn’t this much natural to witness the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword Style? It’s something that only Scholar Un in the world can do, you see.”

It is by no means ordinary for a martial artist to lend his sword.

To give away a sword is the same as giving away one’s life.

Un-hyun didn’t expect Instructor Il Chung-hyun to trust him this much.

“Instructor Il Chung-hyun…….”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun added, perhaps interpreting Un-hyun’s hesitation differently.

“It doesn’t have to be the conclusion. Just think of it as showing me your training progress so far and do it comfortably.”

In fact, it is often the case that one does not properly know their own achievements during training.

Il Chung-hyun was curious about what Un-hyun was saying he ‘saw’.

Besides, as he said, wasn’t it something that only Scholar Un in the world knew? After all, Un-hyun was the only person in the world who had mastered the White Tiger Training Sword Style.

Un-hyun looked at the sword that Instructor Il Chung-hyun had handed him.

His heart was pounding.

Suddenly, the events of last night flashed before his eyes.

If he held the sword now, it felt like the illusion from yesterday would unfold again at the tip of the sword.

Swish.

Un-hyun respectfully received the sword with both hands.

Unlike the wooden sword, which had become as familiar as his own hand, Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s sword seemed to exude a sense of intimidation just from its weight.

Un-hyun slowly drew the sword.

Sreung.

The blue blade sparkled in the sunlight, revealing its form.

“Ah!”

Un-hyun exclaimed without realizing it.

He didn’t know it before.

But now that he saw it, Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s sword was more than delicate; it was even beautiful.

Un-hyun stared at Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s sword as if he were possessed.

It was then.

“Instructor!”

Someone’s voice caught Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s attention.

“Isn’t that Instructor Do-jin?”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun said with a puzzled expression.

Instructor Do-jin was walking quickly from the other side of the building.

“What’s going on, Instructor Do?”

“You need to go quickly.”

Instructor Do-jin said with a stern face.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun knew that something was wrong.

“I understand.”

Instructor Il Chung-hyun turned to look at Un-hyun.

“Unfortunately, it seems we’ll have to see the conclusion of the White Tiger Training Sword Style later.”

Un-hyun was even more disappointed.

It was as if the sword that had come into his hands was about to leave again.

But judging from the atmosphere, there was nothing he could do.

Un-hyun nodded and sheathed the sword he was holding.

Sreung, Tak.

The blade, which had been drawing a rainbow in the sunlight, disappeared with a small sound.

Un-hyun respectfully handed the sword back to Instructor Il Chung-hyun with both hands.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun, who received the sword, smiled and said goodbye to Un-hyun.

“Then, goodbye for now.”

“Ah! My wooden sword is…….”

Un-hyun hurriedly spoke to Instructor Il Chung-hyun, who was about to turn around.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun turned to look at Un-hyun and said.

“I’ll tell them as I go, so go to the Gold Guard armory and get a new one.”

‘Armory?’

He wondered if he had to go all the way to the armory just to get a wooden sword, but there was no time to ask.

Instructor Il Chung-hyun soon walked away with Instructor Do-jin at a quick pace.

Watching Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s disappearing back between the buildings, Un-hyun muttered to himself.

“There are still so many things I want to ask…….”

Unfortunately, he had no choice but to turn around.

Un-hyun looked down at his empty hands and sighed.

“Hoo.”

If he hadn’t held Instructor Il Chung-hyun’s sword, he wouldn’t have been so disappointed.

Now that even his familiar wooden sword was broken, Un-hyun’s empty hands felt lonely.

“I should go to Munyeon Hall [Hall of Literary Cultivation] and then go get a new wooden sword.”

Un-hyun tried to soothe his empty heart and headed towards Munyeon Hall.

***

Even after returning to Munyeon Hall, Un-hyun’s mind was not at peace.

He sat down and habitually took out a book, but all that came out was an inexplicable sigh.

After sitting there blankly with the book open for a while, Un-hyun shook his head as if trying to pull himself together.

“This is no time for this.”

Un-hyun, having made up his mind, cast his gaze on the book he was holding.

It was one of the martial arts records that he had picked up habitually from the table.

“Hmm, it’s the book I was looking at yesterday…….”

Neatly arranged separately were about ten books, the very books that Un-hyun did not fully understand.

Within them, the sword paths of several masters were an unsolvable mystery to Un-hyun.

Whenever he came to Munyeon Hall, he would always open them habitually, but he always had to close them with a tilt of his head.

But today was a little different.

“Hmm……. It’s a natural sword path.”

Tak.

Un-hyun closed the book with a slightly indifferent expression.

And he took out another book.

“This one doesn’t have anything special either…….”

Tak.

Un-hyun picked up another book.

“That’s strange.”

Un-hyun tilted his head and muttered to himself.

“Why couldn’t I understand this?”

He couldn’t understand why he didn’t know such an obvious thing.

Aren’t these sword paths that you can’t help but nod at just by looking at them once?

Tak.

Un-hyun closed the book.

And he scanned the books neatly stacked on the table with his eyes.

Every time his gaze touched a book, the sword paths that were so difficult to understand naturally came to mind and then disappeared.

Un-hyun muttered.

“This one too, and that one too……. There’s nothing to see.”

Leaning back in his chair, Un-hyun sighed.

“Sigh, the things I really need to understand, I can’t understand, and I’m just understanding other things…….”

All the usual difficulties were solved at once, but he wasn’t happy at all.

Sighing, Un-hyun closed his eyes. And he quietly calmed his breathing.