Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 241

241. Five-Finger Whirlwind Jade Mist Display

Dogo-rang suddenly spoke to Shin-seung, who was sipping tea.

“Shin-seung, you are…….”

“Don’t call me that.”

Shin-seung frowned.

“Would you like it if I called you ‘Samjeon Mujuk’ [a derogatory term implying someone is useless] or ‘Wooje’ [another term implying foolishness]?”

Dogo-rang’s face flushed slightly.

“……Venerable Master.”

“Keu, have you learned how to flatter people after traveling together? A swordsman’s tongue is sharper than a sword. Keu keu keu.”

Shin-seung, who was laughing, suddenly said,

“Don’t worry.”

Shin-seung continued in a calm voice.

“Nothing will happen to that guy.”

Shin-seung’s eyes and Dogo-rang’s eyes shone.

That was what Dogo-rang wanted to ask and the answer he wanted to hear.

“Well, taking care of a useless disciple is the karma of all senior brothers in the world. Keu keu keu.”

Dogo-rang frowned.

It was an extreme expression for him, who usually didn’t show emotions.

Shin-seung watched him with an amused expression.

His eyes seemed to be provoking Dogo-rang.

It was at that moment.

Tuk, tuk.

Un-hyun returned with the teapot and teacups on a tea tray.

Tteol-reureureuk.

New tea filled the empty teacup.

Un-hyun, who was watching Shin-seung savor the tea with a satisfied expression, carefully spoke.

“I heard from Elder Dokseon.”

“Is that so?”

He pretended not to know, but Shin-seung probably already knew.

“The Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] might collapse, aren’t you worried?”

Collapsing is a different story from losing.

Un-hyun was already convinced that the Murim Alliance would collapse.

“You’ve dedicated half your life to it…….”

“Of course, I’m worried.”

Shin-seung took a sip of tea and let out a long sigh.

“I’m always worried about how to escape this worldly attachment and attain enlightenment so I can fly away. I’m worried.”

Un-hyun frowned.

“Um, that’s not it, the Murim Alliance…….”

Un-hyun swallowed his words at Shin-seung’s gaze, which was fixed on him.

Shin-seung said with a serious expression.

“Have you ever heard this story?”

Un-hyun perked up his ears at Shin-seung’s unprecedented gaze.

“About what…….”

“There was a young man.”

Shin-seung continued in a low voice.

“He showed outstanding talent in martial arts, and he knew it well. He had several techniques that others envied, the best of which was Jipung [a finger-flicking technique that uses internal energy].”

“Jipung?”

Jipung is shooting internal energy with a finger.

It is impossible without deep internal energy, so it could be called a technique.

“His Jipung soon began to make his name known in Gangho [the martial arts world]. But the young man was not satisfied with that. He repeatedly honed his skills through bone-cutting training. Finally, he reached the point where he could freely shoot Jipung from not only his index finger but also from all five fingers.”

Shin-seung moved his hand lightly.

“Think about it. When the jade-colored energy flickered from the young man’s hand, five guys would fall over without fail, so how could people not admire him?”

That was certainly true.

Un-hyun thought that the sight of enemies falling down with the rising jade-colored energy would be quite exhilarating.

“He called his technique ‘Jade Mist Display (玉靄發揮),’ and people called the young man ‘Five-Finger Whirlwind (五指旋風).’ The name ‘Five-Finger Whirlwind Jade Mist Display’ soon began to resound throughout Gangho.”

“Five-Finger Whirlwind Jade Mist Display…….”

Un-hyun repeated quietly.

It was indeed cool, but it was a name he had never heard before.

“But if the mountain is high, the valley is deep [meaning with great success comes great challenges]. As his fame grew, so did his enemies. From the beginning, he was arrogant, liked to show off, and had a habit of looking down on others. He gained friends, but his enemies grew even faster.”

Shin-seung said in a gloomy voice.

Un-hyun nodded as if he understood.

A person who has achieved success through his own skills is prone to excessive confidence or looking down on others.

He did it, but others couldn’t, so he looked down on them.

Moreover, if his personality is not good, there will naturally be a lot of jealousy and envy.

“To make matters worse, the young man had a problem. Since completing the Jade Mist Display, his fingers began to curl up more and more as he continued to train. Just like this.”

Shin-seung clenched his fingers like a claw.

“……It was like the sky was falling.”

Shin-seung let out a hollow sigh and closed his eyes tightly.

“The young man felt like he was going crazy. He honed his finger techniques and internal energy day and night, but his fingers only became more and more bent. Eventually, he had no choice but to stop training and secretly seek out doctors.”

“Oh, my…….”

How frustrated and crazy he must have felt?

Un-hyun sighed, feeling like he knew the young man’s feelings.

“So what happened?”

Shin-seung shook his head.

“No one knew about such symptoms. Even the famous doctors he secretly visited only shook their heads, so the young man had no choice but to be frustrated. In the meantime, the young man’s enemies noticed something strange. They realized that he was secretly looking for medicine and doctors.”

Shin-seung continued with a serious expression.

“The enemies set a trap. The young man, lured into a deep mountain, realized that he was trapped in a net of heaven and earth [an inescapable encirclement].”

The net of heaven and earth (天羅地網) means an encirclement that can never be escaped.

“A net of heaven and earth, did he have that many enemies?”

At Un-hyun’s words, Shin-seung frowned.

“Among those he resented, there was a guy with considerable power. Do you think a personal enemy would have hundreds or thousands? Even if there were, when would you gather them all?”

That’s true.

Un-hyun nodded, and Shin-seung continued.

“The young man had to struggle to survive. The only thing he could trust was his Jade Mist Display. Holding his bending fingers with his other hand, he desperately unleashed the Jade Mist Display. But the enemies gradually tightened the siege, and the young man’s fingers became even more bent.”

Shin-seung said in a rather desperate tone, clenching his fingers.

“He frantically searched for a way out. But the enemy was persistent and never opened a path, even as they died. Each time, the young man’s wounds increased, and his fingers became more and more bent. After his ring finger and little finger were completely bent, he even used this method.”

Shin-seung curled his thumb, index finger, and middle finger like a claw and brought them to Un-hyun’s chest.

Seuk.

Un-hyun slightly dodged, feeling like his heart would be torn out at any moment.

“Do you understand?”

Un-hyun nodded.

“Yes.”

Shin-seung withdrew his hand and took a sip of tea.

“As dawn approached, when the sky was brightening, the young man finally faced his last moment.”

Shin-seung’s eyes, looking at the sky, seemed to recall the color of the sky that day.

“The young man’s whole body was stained with his own blood and the blood of his enemies, and both hands were tattered like rags. The hand that used to shoot Jipung was already completely bent, as if he was making a fist.”

Shin-seung continued, fiddling with the teacup.

“As he became exhausted, the mastermind finally revealed himself. Holding a sharp sword in one hand and wearing a bitter smile, he approached step by step like a grim reaper. Do you know what the young man was thinking as he watched his enemy approaching?”

Un-hyun shook his head.

“Strangely, he wasn’t afraid. Perhaps it was because he was completely exhausted, or perhaps it was because he had killed so many people that he didn’t even feel the fear of death.”

Shin-seung even closed his eyes tightly.

“At that moment, the young man’s past life flashed before his eyes. And the young man realized.”

Shin-seung opened his eyes.

And he looked straight at Un-hyun.

“His life had no meaning. Gaining fame and traversing Gangho, the gazes of envy and jealousy from people, and the sweet voices of flower-like girls were all fleeting. He had run so splendidly and fiercely, but when he looked back at his life at the last moment, it had no meaning.”

Shin-seung recited a Buddhist invocation in a low voice and fiddled with the teacup in his hand.

“Do you understand? At that moment, what frightened the young man was not the shadow of approaching death, but the very fact that his life had no meaning. That is what made the young man despair.”

Those words resonated in Un-hyun’s heart.

The emotions of that day, when he dug into books to get ahead, entered the palace, and felt proud of his success, but realized that there was nothing, seemed to come back to life.

“What would you have done?”

Un-hyun couldn’t answer.

“Take a step from the end of a hundred-foot pole. Then the world will reveal its true form [百尺竿頭 進一步 十方世界 現全身 – a Zen saying about achieving enlightenment].”

Shin-seung muttered in a low voice.

“He abandoned all attachments. He let go of his desire to live. At that moment, his clenched hand unknowingly turned towards the enemy. The enemy flinched, but knowing that it was his last struggle, he sneered. If he unleashed the Jade Mist Display as it was, the five Jipung would surely pierce the young man’s own palm and arm.”

Un-hyun clenched his fist slightly.

Then he soon tilted his head.

Aren’t the four fingers pointing towards the palm, but only the thumb is pointing to the side?

“Oh, um, not five but…….”

Un-hyun quickly shut his mouth at Shin-seung’s sharp gaze.

Well, this is not the time to argue about that.

“The young man, with his hand facing the enemy, unleashed the Jade Mist Display with no thoughts. As if the only thing he had to do was that.”

Shin-seung clenched his fist and pointed it at Un-hyun.

“And at that very moment, from his completely curled hand……. Kwahang!”

“Eek!”

Un-hyun jumped in surprise.

At the same time as Shin-seung shouted, an intense energy was emitted from his fist.

“Why, why are you doing this!”

The energy that Shin-seung emitted was not that great.

Rather, he was more surprised by Shin-seung’s sudden shout.

But Shin-seung smiled triumphantly.

“An enormous fist wind went out. Keu keu keu.”

“Yes?”

Un-hyun frowned and asked back.

“What, don’t you understand? So, the fact that his hand was curled up was not because something was wrong, but a natural change towards a higher level. Like this, like this.”

Shin-seung explained, clenching and unclenching his hand.

Un-hyun suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Then that young man…….”

“Of course, he became an amazing master and lived happily ever after. Ah, is that too obvious? Would it be better to leave alone towards the dawning dawn? Or should I just leave it as an open ending…….”

Un-hyun was dumbfounded at Shin-seung’s rather serious expression.

“No, you said it was your past?”

“When did I?”

Shin-seung frowned.

“I told you from the beginning, it’s a story. Haven’t you heard this kind of story before? Isn’t it interesting?”

Un-hyun sighed and rubbed his forehead.

‘I should have realized it when he said something about a hundred-foot pole…….’

Taking a step from the end of a hundred-foot pole was already a technique used by Shin-seung Bulyeong’s master, Wabul Seonsa.

And didn’t Wabul say that he had realized that ‘you can’t trust other people’s words’?

“Why did you tell me this story?”

Shin-seung shrugged.

“Why, I told you because it seemed interesting. If you want to write this story later, you must get my permission. If you use it without permission, you will be in big trouble.”

“I won’t write it.”

Un-hyun said firmly.

Sighing once again, Un-hyun stared at Shin-seung and asked.

“Did you really just do it for fun?”

“Heol, this guy. The way you’re looking at me…….”

Shin-seung chuckled and said.

“Seeing that you still don’t know the true meaning of this story, your life is still far from enlightenment.”

Un-hyun frowned. What is he talking about again?

“You.”

Shin-seung sighed and said.

“There is something bigger in a person’s life than life and death. You keep talking about the Murim Alliance, but I have something more important than that. I haven’t attained enlightenment yet, so what does it matter what happens to the Murim Alliance?”

‘More important’ probably means practicing Buddhism. Just like he said he hadn’t attained enlightenment a little while ago.

But just in case, Un-hyun asked.

“If it’s more important…….”

But Shin-seung just smiled and didn’t answer.

Un-hyun frowned.

‘I can’t even grasp it.’

Shin-seung’s conversation is always like this.

I don’t know if he’s just making excuses or if it has a deep meaning.

But at least one thing was clear.

“So you’re saying you won’t interfere with the Murim Alliance?”

“Yes. Because of you.”

“Me?”

When Un-hyun asked back, Shin-seung said grumbling.

“I already told you. I wasn’t here originally, but I’m here because you came. I wasn’t here, but I am now?”

He went back to the beginning of the story again.

Un-hyun frowned, and Shin-seung got annoyed.

“How many times do I have to say the same thing to satisfy you? If the tea offering is over, go away! Boys get old easily and love is hard to achieve, so you should cherish every moment and chase after girls!”

“Keueung.”

Un-hyun groaned at Shin-seung’s words, which twisted the teachings of the sages in a strange way.

But if he pointed that out here, the conversation would go off on a tangent, saying that the meaning of life is not learning but preserving offspring.

“I understand. Anyway…….”

Un-hyun got up from his seat.

Anyway, he didn’t have to worry about Shin-seung.

He seemed to have already given up on the Murim Alliance, and Shin-seung is so strong that it would be strange for Un-hyun to worry.