A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 80

80. The Way of Tai Chi (2)

Step, step.

Sunbin’s footsteps echoed in the silent Dengwang Pavilion banquet hall.

In the tense atmosphere, where even breathing seemed cautious, Sunbin quietly moved forward.

This banquet hall, filled with numerous young people, watched Sunbin in silence, as if he were alone.

The Late Stage disciples [disciples at a later stage of martial arts training] holding swords turned to Sunbin, parting like waves to make way for him. Passing through countless gazes mixed with doubt and anticipation, Sunbin advanced.

The Late Stage disciples of influential families, who had fallen to Hanwol’s sword, stared at Sunbin with pale faces.

The eyes of Namgung Hoon, Jegal Hwi, Hyeokryeon Hoo, Gongson Kak, and Moryong Rin, distorted with pain, revealed a complex mix of helplessness and despair.

Step.

Among the many gazes, Sunbin stood before Hanwol, who was relentlessly emitting killing intent towards him. His chilling and sharp aura seemed ready to cut Sunbin down at any moment.

“A scholar’s attire with two swords.”

A sneer returned to Hanwol’s lips. His face was full of blatant contempt, clearly intending to provoke his opponent.

“Quite a bizarre sight. Is that the Sword Saintess’s taste?”

Sunbin did not reply. Instead, he looked at Hanwol’s sword.

Whoosh.

A red aura flickered on Hanwol’s sword. The sword energy, a tangible sign of a master’s skill, was undeniably blooming from Hanwol’s sword.

Sunbin quietly reached for Baekro [Sunbin’s sword].

Swish.

The straight blade of Baekro revealed itself under the banquet hall’s lights, and a sigh-like exclamation escaped someone’s lips.

“Ah…”

Even those who knew nothing about swords were captivated by its beauty. For the Late Stage disciples familiar with swords, there was no need to say more.

Even they, who had seen all kinds of famous swords, were in awe, forgetting for a moment that this place was on the brink of life and death.

Baekro instantly, and literally, captured everyone’s attention.

“An amazing sword.”

Even Hanwol forgot his sneer, saying in a low voice, “But I have seen many cases where the owner does not suit the sword.”

He paused, then asked, “What about you?”

Swish.

Sunbin raised his sword. Baekro’s cold blade pointed towards Hanwol.

“I’ve heard that warriors answer with their swords,” Sunbin said with a calm gaze. “Though I may not be worthy of being called a warrior, I will also answer with this sword.”

A smile, completely different from his previous sneers, spread across Hanwol’s face. It was a chilling smile that came from his heart.

“Answering with a sword… a good answer. I hope your skills are as good as your answer.”

Hanwol raised his sword. His sword flickered with an ominous red aura directed towards Sunbin.

“Otherwise, you will surely die here.”

Whoosh.

As Hanwol’s sword cried out, Sunbin’s Baekro began to hum softly. The eerie sound of the two swords echoed clearly in the silent banquet hall.

A tense atmosphere filled the space between the two, but that tension did not last long.

“What are you doing?”

Hanwol suddenly frowned and said, “Surely, that’s not all, is it?”

His smile had already disappeared. Sunbin did not understand his reaction.

“What do you mean…”

“Ha.”

Hanwol sighed. There was no reason for Sunbin to hide his level now.

But the fact that the sword hummed was no different from the other Late Stage disciples here. That great sword, that plausible spirit, even that gaze, were all just for show.

Gritting his teeth, he said, “This place is… Was it really just full of trash?”

Thud.

Hanwol’s sword lunged towards Sunbin. There was no reason to delay. Hanwol’s expression was cold.

Whoosh.

The red sword energy left a trail in the air like silk, cutting towards Sunbin.

Hanwol had no doubt that this one strike would shatter the opponent’s pretense, just like the Late Stage disciples who claimed to be from prestigious families.

The trajectory of death quickly approached Sunbin, but Sunbin did not dodge. Instead, he took a step forward and slashed down with Baekro.

Swish.

It was an extremely clean and simple sword movement, so much so that it seemed to lack any technique at all.

‘Hmph.’

Hanwol sneered. Baekro was shining its beautiful blade, drawing a trajectory in the air, but still, no sword energy bloomed.

Hanwol was certain that his red sword energy would cut Sunbin in two.

But that was a hasty conclusion.

Whoosh.

‘What?’

At the very moment when he should have cut through Sunbin, Hanwol realized that his sword was merely passing through empty air.

Not only that, but Baekro’s beautiful blade, which had clearly been in a direction where there was nothing, suddenly appeared like an illusion and was lunging towards him.

‘Tch.’

At that moment, Hanwol instinctively swung his sword and kicked off the ground with all his might.

Whoosh.

As the red sword energy cut through the empty air, Hanwol quickly retreated. Baekro did not pursue.

Thud.

Hanwol landed lightly and glared at Sunbin with sharp eyes.

“What… what did you do?”

There was clear bewilderment in Hanwol’s eyes as he asked. For a moment, everything in the space he recognized was tangled up.

His sword strike cut through the air, and the opponent’s sword lunged in from where he thought there was nothing. This had never happened before.

There was no situation that he, a master of sword energy manifestation, could not understand. At least, until now.

“Nothing.”

Sunbin replied, “I simply answered with my sword.”

“Ha, answered with your sword?”

Hanwol was dumbfounded. The ultimate state of manifesting tangible sword energy was completely different from simply loading internal energy into the sword.

No matter how beautiful a famous sword was, or even a divine sword, it could not bridge that gap. In other words, no matter how great a sword Sunbin held, he could not match Hanwol’s sword energy.

But Sunbin said he answered with his sword.

What exactly did he answer with his sword?

Gritting his teeth, Hanwol thought, Sunbin had clearly done something. Perhaps it was a divine movement technique that had reached the pinnacle, but the same trick would not work again.

“Good. Then, as you say…”

Slam.

Before he could finish speaking, Hanwol lunged towards Sunbin again.

“I’ll ask your sword!”

Whoosh.

Hanwol’s sword, flickering with sword energy, was once again slashing towards Sunbin.

The eerie trajectory, as beautiful as red silk rippling, but promising death upon contact, was rushing towards Sunbin.

Whoosh.

Baekro hummed softly. Sunbin was staring straight at the flow created by Hanwol’s sword strike coming towards him.

No, it wasn’t just Hanwol’s sword strike.

The countless small flows surrounding him and Hanwol, constantly continuing and flowing, were clearly revealing their forms like shining starlight.

Clang!

With tremendous force, Hanwol’s sword fell towards him. Sunbin quietly drew Baekro upwards from below.

Whoong.

Following the Hyuncheon Grand River Sword Art [a specific sword technique], Baekro drew an arc. It had no overwhelming force, nor was it fast enough to be followed by the eye.

However, the moment Baekro, which approached quietly like the gentle gesture of a beautiful woman, came into contact with Hanwol’s sword, Hanwol’s sword strike, which had been flickering with red sword energy, lost its path and twisted in an unexpected direction.

‘Gasp!’

Hanwol also saw that amazing sight. He had already expected something, so he could see it clearly. That’s why he couldn’t believe it even more.

‘Impossible!’

The moment his sword, which was emitting sword energy, collided with Sunbin’s Baekro, or rather, in the instant just before the collision, his sword had twisted in an unexpected direction.

It wasn’t just the sword. Along with the flow of sword energy, his internal energy was also subtly shaken, so naturally that he couldn’t even sense the distortion himself.

The strange sense of incongruity he had felt earlier, the feeling that everything around him had been tangled up for a moment, was because his senses had been tangled up.

‘Tch.’

But now was not the time to be lost in such thoughts. Sunbin’s Baekro was falling through the gap in his twisted perception.

No, to be precise, Hanwol himself had exposed it to him. His perfect weakness.

“Haa!”

With a shout, Hanwol desperately swung his sword.

Whoosh.

The red sword energy that had settled on his sword rose fiercely like a storm and lunged towards Sunbin, as if to destroy everything that stood in its way.

And that was exactly what Sunbin had expected.

[The act of reading the opponent’s moves and subtly twisting them is called the Hand of Yi Hwa Jeop Mok.]

Saja Hyuk’s voice echoed in Sunbin’s head.

Hanwol’s sword energy was certainly at a great level, but there was no need to even try to read his sword path.

As much as he was confident in the absolute power of sword energy manifestation, his sword path was rather extremely efficient and simple.

[When you reach the realm, you can even control the opponent’s internal energy as you wish. Being able to control great power with small force, this is the Law of Saryang Balcheongeun.]

Sword energy manifestation is the realm of shaping one’s internal energy into tangible sword energy.

Sword energy is the absolute power that cuts everything in its path in two, but conversely, if you receive a strong impact through sword energy, the wielder of the sword also suffers damage.

Just like Sasu-yeon’s internal energy was greatly shaken through the collision of internal energy.

Sunbin was at the realm of Sword Cry, but the fact that the sword was crying meant that internal energy had already begun to be loaded into the sword. It was not difficult for Sunbin to twist Hanwol’s flow.

Because the flow drawn by Hanwol’s sword energy was clearly revealing its form before Sunbin’s eyes like shining starlight.

“Haa!”

Whoosh.

Hanwol’s enraged sword energy raged like a storm. His sword energy, gushing out in streams, seemed ready to tear Sunbin apart right away.

But there is nothing as simple and blind as anger. Sunbin slowly moved Baekro.

Swish.

The trajectory of Baekro, as elegant and beautiful as a sword dance, headed straight for Hanwol’s sword. And at the very moment the two swords met.

Ching.

A very small sound rang out, a sound so subtle that only Sunbin and Hanwol could hear it. But the ensuing explosion swallowed that small sound.

Kwang!

“Cough.”

It was Hanwol who flew away while spitting blood. And Sunbin stood there, raising Baekro and closing his eyes tightly.

[Those who have awakened to the ultimate Dao are not biased or shaken by anything. That is the Dao of Tai Chi, and that sword is the sword containing the wisdom of Tai Chi.]

Sunbin looked at his hand, recalling Saja Hyuk’s words. Sunbin’s hand was trembling. The backlash transmitted through Baekro had turned his insides upside down.

It was too far from the Dao of Tai Chi, which was not supposed to be shaken by anything.

Thud.

Hanwol, who had been thrown out, lost his balance and rolled on the floor. Everyone in the banquet hall stared at the unbelievable sight with expressions of shock.

“Kuh… cough.”

Hanwol, who was trying to get up, spat out blood. The Blood Dragon Gate’s uniform was stained with blood.

“W-what did you do?”

“I simply returned your thing to you.”

Sunbin answered calmly, taking a breath. Hanwol also barely managed to speak, suppressing his boiling internal energy.

“Returned…? How…?”

“The Hand of Yi Hwa Jeop Mok [a technique to redirect force], the Law of Saryang Balcheongeun [a technique to control great power with small force], and the Dao of Tai Chi [the way of ultimate balance].”

“Y-Yi Hwa Jeop Mok?”

Hanwol gritted his teeth. He also knew about the techniques of Yi Hwa Jeop Mok and Saryang Balcheongeun.

But he had never heard of anyone defeating a master of sword energy manifestation with just those techniques.

No, there was no need to hear about it.

Those techniques could not work on a master, and at least the same level of master was needed to even attempt it.

“Impossible. That’s…”

“Senior!”

A sharp voice echoed through the banquet hall. Sinwol, the Blood Dragon Gate warrior who had left with the Demonic Sect’s Late Stage disciples, had returned with other Blood Dragon Gate warriors.

The moment he saw Hanwol spitting blood and barely standing, his eyes rolled back.

“You bastards!”

His eyes turned red in an instant, and a tremendous force began to pour out. It was the very moment he was about to draw his sword.

“Sinwol! Stop!”

“S-Senior…”

“Stop! That’s an order!”

Perhaps suppressed by Hanwol’s force, Sinwol’s eyes slowly began to return to their original color.

“What’s the situation?”

Hanwol asked with cold eyes.

Sinwol’s return meant that the situation had changed rapidly. Sinwol quickly approached Hanwol, supported him, and said in a low voice, “The wall has fallen.”

What he said was a short sentence, but its meaning was great. Hanwol bit his lip.

“There’s no point in defending the fallen wall. Retreat immediately.”

“Yes.”

Sinwol tried to support him, but Hanwol stood up on his own. It was impossible to know whether he had already controlled his shaken internal energy or whether it was just a bluff.

“You bastards! Where do you think you’re running…”

One of the influential families’ Late Stage disciples, who had grasped the situation, shouted as he stepped forward with his sword. Hanwol lightly scoffed and kicked his sword, which had fallen on the floor.

Swoosh.

Unlike the light movement, the sword shot out at a terrifying speed. And the direction the sword was heading was Sunbin.

“Gasp!”

“Great Hero!”

The Late Stage disciples who were watching hurriedly shouted. At some point, Sunbin’s title had changed to Great Hero, but no one found it strange.

Because Sunbin was the one who had visibly defeated the master of sword energy manifestation right before their eyes.

Clang.

Sunbin swung his sword as if he had been waiting for it. With a small metallic sound, Hanwol’s sword bounced off in a completely different direction.

Thud.

The flying sword was deeply embedded in the thick pillar of Dengwang Pavilion. Perhaps because it was loaded with considerable internal energy, the sword body, which was embedded nearly halfway, trembled uncontrollably.

“Huk.”

The faces of the Late Stage disciples hardened in an instant. If that sword had flown towards someone else, they would not have survived.

When the Late Stage disciples turned their heads again, Hanwol and Sinwol had already disappeared.

Swish.

Sunbin sheathed Baekro. The beautiful blade of Baekro, so beautiful that it made people sigh, disappeared, and Sunbin approached Shinui and Sasu-yeon.

The gazes of everyone in the banquet hall naturally followed Sunbin, and the young people opened the way for Sunbin themselves.

“How is Miss Sa?”

Sunbin knelt on one knee beside Sasu-yeon and examined her complexion.

She was still pale, and still beautiful.

Shinui glanced at Sunbin once, then checked Sasu-yeon’s pulse and quietly shook his head.

“Not good. The cold energy is raging even more. At this rate, there’s no way…”

“There is a way.”

At the rough voice of the girl, everyone’s gaze turned to her at once.

A small, frail-looking girl with her face covered by a veil was standing quietly, as if she had been there since before.

“Who is she?”

“Was there such a girl?”

As people whispered to each other, Sunbin 벌떡 일어나섰다 [stood up abruptly].