Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 140

140. A Difference of Just an Inch

“Brother Un.”

Moyong Sang-ah’s voice came from beside him.

When Unhyun turned his head, he saw the small Moyong Sang-ah running towards him.

The sight of her running like a little animal made Unhyun smile without realizing it.

Moyong Sang-ah, who had approached him, unhesitatingly clung to Unhyun’s arm.

“Young Miss.”

Go Jin-cheol bowed to Moyong Sang-ah.

It was a natural gesture for a disciple of the family, though he hadn’t been particularly attentive to her until now.

Unhyun, who was stroking Moyong Sang-ah’s hair, suddenly had an idea.

“How about this?”

Unhyun said to Go Jin-cheol with a smile.

“Yesterday, I showed you mine, so today, why don’t you show me your swordsmanship?”

“Pardon?”

Go Jin-cheol was momentarily taken aback.

He wondered what he would gain from demonstrating their skills.

However, he had no excuse to refuse.

There was already a strict order from the Great Disciple Moyong Jin to treat Unhyun with the utmost respect, and Moyong Sang-ah, the young miss of the family, was also looking at him with sparkling eyes, as if she found the idea interesting.

“I understand.”

Sighing inwardly, Go Jin-cheol nodded.

While Go Jin-cheol returned to the training ground, Unhyun said something to Moyong Sang-ah in a low voice.

“Okay, Brother. I’ll ask.”

Moyong Sang-ah nodded and ran off somewhere.

Unhyun watched her retreating figure, like a small animal darting away, with a satisfied expression.

Then, Unhyun turned his head.

The young disciples of the Moyong Family were buzzing with chatter.

Like Go Jin-cheol, they probably couldn’t guess Unhyun’s intentions.

However, Unhyun was the one holding the reins now.

The young disciples of the Moyong Family began to form a training formation.

Go Jin-cheol was inwardly anxious.

He wondered if Unhyun was trying to find fault with them under this pretext.

He had already received an apology, but how could he guess what the masters were thinking?

The other disciples felt the same way, and the low murmurs didn’t stop.

“Ahem.”

Go Jin-cheol cleared his throat.

Forcibly ignoring the anxious gazes of his colleagues, Go Jin-cheol raised his voice.

“From now on, we will begin the Moyong Sword Style. Draw your swords!”

Clang.

The young disciples drew their swords.

The murmuring stopped, and tension spread through the training ground.

None of them hesitated to draw their swords.

The eyes of the young disciples, who had taken their stances, began to shine earnestly.

“First Form, Righteous Sword to the Sky!”

Go Jin-cheol shouted loudly.

Thud.

“Haa!”

A shout that seemed to shake the training ground erupted along with the sound of footsteps.

And dozens of swords soared into the sky simultaneously.

The sight of the blades glinting in the sunlight was truly spectacular.

However, Unhyun was not at all surprised.

To Unhyun, who had always seen the training of the Golden Guards [elite imperial bodyguards] in the Imperial Palace, this sight was just a daily occurrence.

***

The young disciples’ swordplay ended.

“Hoo.”

Go Jin-cheol caught his breath.

The heat that he and his colleagues had emitted filled the training ground.

Swish.

Go Jin-cheol sheathed his sword and turned his head.

It was to see the reaction of Unhyun, who had made them perform this swordplay.

‘Ugh.’

Go Jin-cheol felt anxiety creeping in.

Unhyun’s expression, as he looked at them, was not very bright.

Other disciples also seemed to have noticed this, and their expressions were full of anxiety.

Low murmurs arose, and just then, Moyong Sang-ah returned.

Tap, tap, tap.

“I, I’m back.”

Moyong Sang-ah said to Unhyun, panting.

“Yes, what did he say?”

“He said it’s totally fine.”

Moyong Sang-ah said with a bright smile.

“And he said he wants you to do it for him too. He looked like he would have rushed over here right away if he didn’t have work to do.”

“Really?”

Unhyun smiled and stroked Moyong Sang-ah’s hair.

“Thank you, Sang-ah.”

“Hehe.”

After giving a smile to the laughing Moyong Sang-ah, Unhyun walked towards the young disciples.

Thud, thud.

Watching Unhyun slowly walking towards them, Go Jin-cheol swallowed hard.

The other disciples also stared at Unhyun with tense expressions.

Thud.

Unhyun stopped.

After looking at the disciples once, Unhyun said to Go Jin-cheol.

“Would you like to try it again?”

“Pardon?”

He asked back as if he didn’t understand, but Unhyun’s expression was serious.

Go Jin-cheol glanced at his colleagues.

Their expressions were not good.

They thought Unhyun was just being difficult.

But what could he do?

Judging from the conversation he had heard earlier, it seemed that he had already received permission from the Great Disciple Moyong Jin, so he had no choice but to follow his orders.

“I understand.”

Sighing inwardly, Go Jin-cheol took his stance.

“We will begin the Moyong Sword Style!”

Go Jin-cheol’s voice, filled with emotion, was loud and edgy.

His colleagues also grumbled inwardly and took their stances again.

“Draw your swords!”

Clang, clang.

“First Form, Righteous Sword to the Sky!”

“Haa!”

Thud, swish.

The shout echoed through the training ground, and dozens of blades soared into the sky.

Go Jin-cheol was about to shout the next command.

If it weren’t for Unhyun’s interruption.

“Wait, stop right there.”

Go Jin-cheol, who was about to continue to the next move, flinched.

Thud, thud.

Unhyun walked over.

Go Jin-cheol and the other disciples wondered what this was all about, but Unhyun, who had approached, pushed the sword of the nearest young disciple with his hand.

“It was here a moment ago.”

“Pardon?”

Ignoring the young disciple’s question, Unhyun said to the next person.

“And you, it was here.”

Swish.

As Unhyun gently pushed, his sword went down a little.

Thud.

Moving his feet, Unhyun continued to point out.

“The tip of your sword is in a completely different direction.”

Thud, thud.

Unhyun quickly passed by, pointing out each person one by one.

Swish.

Turning around, Unhyun said to the disciples.

“Which one is the real Righteous Sword to the Sky, the one from before or the one now?”

The young disciples were bewildered.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know what Unhyun was saying.

Unhyun was saying that the disciples’ stances were different from before.

But what did that mean?

“Great One, that is…….”

It was when Go Jin-cheol was about to say something.

“Sang-ah.”

“Yes, Brother!”

Moyong Sang-ah ran over with a sword from the weapon rack.

Judging from the fact that she moved before he even finished speaking, it seemed that they had already talked about it.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

Unhyun accepted the sword.

Moyong Sang-ah smiled and stepped back again.

Sreung.

Unhyun drew his sword.

The well-maintained blade gleamed in the sunlight in Unhyun’s hand.

Thud.

Unhyun walked towards the slightly higher platform in front of the training ground.

Unhyun stopped in front of the stone platform where the instructor would usually stand to guide the training.

Then, taking a step forward, he swung his sword without hesitation.

Swish.

There was no unfamiliar energy wavering.

It wasn’t so fast that it couldn’t be seen.

Unhyun’s sword was drawn horizontally towards the stone wall, and the sound of metal and stone colliding echoed softly in the training ground.

Chiing.

Unhyun took a step back and sheathed his sword.

But that wasn’t the end.

Swish.

Unhyun took a step forward and drew his sword, swinging it.

Chiing.

The sound of the sword scraping against the stone platform rang out again.

Unhyun continued to sheathe his sword, and then draw it again and swing it.

Chiing, chiing, chiing.

How many times did he do that?

Unhyun stopped his sword.

Then, turning around, he looked at the young disciples and said.

“How many times did I swing my sword?”

“T-Twelve times…….”

Someone who had been counting the number without realizing it answered.

Unhyun asked again.

“How many traces are there here?”

There was no answer.

There was only one line left on the stone platform.

Only one thin, long trace remained there, as if it had been drawn only once.

Gulp.

Go Jin-cheol swallowed hard without realizing it.

“The reason why there is only one trace left here is because the twelve movements I made are the same form. If multiple trajectories remain on your swords…….”

Unhyun looked straight at the young disciples and said.

“Can you say that it is the same form?”

The young disciples couldn’t say anything.

Unhyun’s words were right.

But there was still doubt.

“Great One.”

Go Jin-cheol took courage.

Unhyun’s serious appearance didn’t seem like he was just trying to harass them.

“I understand what you are saying, but what does it mean…….”

Accuracy is good.

But is it really necessary to be this accurate?

Go Jin-cheol’s question represented the feelings of all the disciples.

“Hmm.”

Unhyun thought for a moment.

But the answer came quickly.

Thud, thud.

Unhyun walked towards Go Jin-cheol.

And stopped a little distance away.

“Swing your sword at me from there.”

“Pardon?”

Go Jin-cheol hesitated at the sudden words.

It wasn’t that he hesitated because he was afraid of hurting Unhyun.

The distance between him and Unhyun was too far to reach even if he swung his sword.

“I understand.”

Go Jin-cheol nodded and raised his sword.

The worry that he was being difficult was no longer on his mind.

The interest in what this great master was saying filled the minds of Go Jin-cheol and the disciples.

“Then.”

Go Jin-cheol bowed slightly to Unhyun as a sign of respect and swung his sword.

Swish, clang.

A shattering sound erupted.

‘Ugh.’

Go Jin-cheol was startled.

The sword he swung at Unhyun was blocked in the middle and stopped.

It was none other than the tip of Unhyun’s sword that blocked the sword.

The tips of the two swords were stopped as if they were stuck in the air.

Swish.

Unhyun sheathed his sword.

“Try it again.”

“Ah, yes.”

Go Jin-cheol adjusted his stance.

This time, more carefully and more strongly, Go Jin-cheol swung his sword.

It was higher than before, at Unhyun’s eye level.

Clang.

A sharp sound rang out once again in the training ground.

‘Ugh.’

Go Jin-cheol’s sword was blocked again.

The tip of Unhyun’s sword was blocking the tip of Go Jin-cheol’s sword as if he had aimed for it.

‘Oh my god.’

Go Jin-cheol couldn’t help but be surprised.

It wasn’t that he blocked the middle of the sword.

To block the tip of his sword with the sharp tip of his sword, it was something Go Jin-cheol couldn’t even imagine.

The power that was balancing so tightly was one thing, but how could he accurately block the tip of the sword that was cutting through the air?

“One more time.”

Unhyun said as he sheathed his sword.

Go Jin-cheol gritted his teeth.

After adjusting his stance, Go Jin-cheol looked at Unhyun with sharp eyes.

But Unhyun’s expression was calm.

Go Jin-cheol gritted his teeth.

“Taha!”

Go Jin-cheol swung his sword with all his might, even letting out a shout.

But no change occurred.

No, perhaps it could be said that another change had occurred again.

Kang.

The tips of the two swords met in the air.

And Go Jin-cheol couldn’t move at all in that state.

“Just an inch.”

Unhyun said in that state.

“In a martial artist’s duel, life and death are determined by even just an inch of misalignment of the sword. Can you still say it doesn’t matter?”