Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 264

264. Rehabilitation

Chief Manager Kang addressed Woon-hyun.

“First, let’s drop the ‘Chief Manager’ title. Just call me Chief Manager Kang.”

“Understood. Chief Manager Kang.”

Chief Manager Kang gave a wry smile at Woon-hyun’s almost enthusiastic tone.

“First of all,” Chief Manager Kang said, looking directly at Woon-hyun, “Young Master, you need to take care of your body. You can’t accomplish anything in your current condition.”

Chief Manager Kang spoke bluntly, as was his nature.

“What do you mean, take care of my body…?”

“Fortunately, you’re not actually sick. So, move your body and work.”

“Work?”

“Yes. Fetch water, sweep the yard, clean. Chopping firewood would also be good. Do anything that gets you moving.”

Chief Manager Kang looked intently at Woon-hyun and said, “This is a merchant guild. No one will gossip about you working. In fact, you won’t be welcome if you don’t move and work. So, start with simple tasks to improve your health. Figuring out what you can do comes after that.”

Frowning, Chief Manager Kang added, “And during that time, absolutely no alcohol or gambling.”

“I, I’ve never done anything like that.”

Woon-hyun quickly waved his hands, but Chief Manager Kang remained unconvinced.

“…Is that so?” Chief Manager Kang’s sharp gaze was fixed on Woon-hyun.

“Yes.”

Woon-hyun nodded with a serious expression.

“Then that’s good. That’s all the advice I can give you for now.”

As if that was the end of the discussion, Chief Manager Kang lowered his head and picked up his documents again.

“Thank you, Chief Manager.”

Woon-hyun bowed politely and left Chief Manager Kang’s office.

* * *

Clack.

The door closed, and Chief Manager Kang raised his head to look at the closed door.

Woon-hyun’s earnest eyes were vivid in his mind.

However, Chief Manager Kang’s expression wasn’t particularly pleased.

“Well, we’ll see…”

He had seen earnest eyes many times before.

Chief Manager Kang knew very well the vast difference between acknowledging something as right and actually putting it into practice.

Therefore, he would soon know whether Woon-hyun was someone worth helping.

Not Woon-hyun’s words or eyes, but his actions would soon reveal the truth.

‘I’m not expecting much, though.’

Chief Manager Kang was skeptical.

If Woon-hyun had such a firm will, he wouldn’t have ended up in that state in the first place.

Rustle.

Turning his head, Chief Manager Kang returned to his work.

***

Woon-hyun immediately put Chief Manager Kang’s advice into practice.

He decided to start by cleaning and tidying up his room.

Swish, swish.

The full-scale cleaning of sweeping and wiping was harder than he thought.

Not because the work was inherently difficult, but because his body wasn’t cooperating.

It felt like his whole body was creaking with every movement, as if he hadn’t moved in ages.

And he got tired far too easily.

“Hoo.”

Woon-hyun straightened his back and leaned against the wall.

‘Only this much…’ It seemed his physical condition was more serious than he had realized.

It was no wonder Chief Manager Kang had told him to take care of his body first.

What could he possibly do in this state?

‘I’m pathetic.’

Woon-hyun gave a bitter smile.

He didn’t despair or feel frustrated. Rather, he thought it was natural.

He thought it was right for things to be this way.

‘Someone like me…’

A fragment of the nightmare he had in the early morning suddenly struck Woon-hyun.

Woon-hyun quickly shook his head, as if to shake off the clinging nightmare.

‘I have to move.’

Woon-hyun stood up again.

Every time he cleaned, his body creaked and ached, but Woon-hyun kept moving without resting.

‘…Even though it’s hard.’

Woon-hyun chuckled.

‘It’s good that I can’t think of anything else.’

The good thing about moving his body was that it prevented him from dwelling on anything else.

Whether it was about the future, or the nightmare, or his physical condition that seemed to be completely ruined.

“Heave-ho.”

Woon-hyun continued cleaning with effort.

His muscles and joints protested with pain here and there, but he ignored them.

‘This much…’

It’s nothing compared to the punishment he deserves.

Woon-hyun focused all his attention on cleaning.

After cleaning his quarters, he tidied up the surroundings, and in the afternoon, he swept the yard with a large broom.

He had to sit down several times because he was dizzy, but Woon-hyun never let go of the broom.

That night, Woon-hyun went to bed feeling pleasantly tired for the first time in a long time.

Sleep came quickly.

But not rest.

“Gasp!”

Woon-hyun woke up again with a nightmare.

A terrible dream, the same nightmare.

He had fallen into such a sweet sleep in the early evening, but the nightmare had come to find Woon-hyun again.

“Haa. Haa.”

His whole body was soaked in sweat. His clothes and bedding were all wet with sweat.

A particularly unpleasant and sticky sweat that smelled faintly of blood.

It was definitely not normal, but Woon-hyun didn’t care. Not because he didn’t know, but because he simply didn’t care.

It was a thought completely detached from his determination to take care of his body, but Woon-hyun didn’t care.

Or perhaps he was just ignoring it.

Rustle.

Woon-hyun got up and drank some water.

Looking out the window, he saw that the darkness was still deep. But Woon-hyun knew he couldn’t sleep again.

“Hoo.”

Woon-hyun washed himself and changed his clothes.

After tidying up his dirty pajamas and bedding, Woon-hyun took out a long broom.

Click.

When he opened the door, the cold morning air tickled the tip of his nose.

Hunching his shoulders, Woon-hyun carefully walked into the yard.

Swish. Swish.

Long streaks appeared on the ground each time the large broom passed. As if painting with a large brush, streaks were carved one by one into the wide yard.

Swish. Swish.

Once, and again. Woon-hyun moved the broom with force.

The chilly feeling of the dawn disappeared, and beads of sweat formed on Woon-hyun’s forehead.

It was as if he was staking his life on sweeping.

“Hoo.”

Woon-hyun’s sweeping ended around the time dawn broke.

Woon-hyun looked at the work he had put so much effort into.

The entire yard was carved with patterns like a woman’s hair.

The sight before him made him feel as if he had accomplished something great.

Woon-hyun gave a faint smile.

“Ha, very nice.”

Woon-hyun raised his head at the sound of a woman’s voice.

It was his cousin, Woon Hee-yeon.

But the expression on her face now could hardly be called admiration.

Rather, her furrowed brow looked more like disbelief.

“Did you spend all night sweeping?”

Her tone was clearly mocking, but Woon-hyun didn’t care.

“Not all night, but.”

Woon-hyun shrugged and replied, “I just wanted to.”

Woon Hee-yeon frowned.

“Is this what you’re supposed to be doing? Cleaning?”

Woon-hyun said without losing his faint smile, “Yeah. I thought I should tidy up my mental state first.”

“With sweeping?”

“It’s surprisingly good when you do it. I don’t get any other thoughts.”

Woon Hee-yeon felt offended by Woon-hyun’s calm answer.

“Is that so? Good for you.”

Woon Hee-yeon said coldly and turned away.

Swoosh, swoosh.

She walked right through the middle of the yard that Woon-hyun had swept, as if to show off.

Footprints were imprinted on the carefully created patterns, but Woon-hyun didn’t care.

Just like when Woon Hee-yeon had mocked him.

“Should I try fetching water next?”

He didn’t know if his body could even lift a water jug in its current state.

But it didn’t matter if he couldn’t. The important thing was to move his body.

Thud.

Woon-hyun picked up the broom and moved his feet.

He took the trouble to go around the perimeter, not wanting to ruin the patterns that filled the yard.

Tweet tweet.

Amidst the chirping of birds, the morning sun, which had already risen brightly, was warmly illuminating the yard.

***

The Heroic Alliance intervened in all the business dealings along the Yangtze River.

The same was true for disputes between sects [martial arts schools].

The Heroic Alliance didn’t care about principles or right and wrong. They didn’t even distinguish between the orthodox and unorthodox factions, and they were willing to lend their strength to any sect that paid them.

Of course, that strength mostly consisted of lending their name, or sending two or three leaders of mountain bandits.

But that was usually enough.

In most cases, that is.

Junwei, a provincial city in Guizhou Province, hundreds of miles away from the Yangtze River.

A large carriage that had been running relentlessly along the main road stopped in front of a signboard that read “Twin Swords Sect.”

“Whoa!”

Jang Yeol-hae, the leader of the Twin Swords Sect, who was standing in front of the main gate with forty disciples, couldn’t hide his nervousness.

Bang.

“Tsk, this is just a rural backwater.”

A rough voice came as soon as the door opened.

A middle-aged man with a fierce expression glared and leaned out of the carriage.

“What is there to eat that we had to come all the way here?”

“Brother, come out quickly. I’m dying of suffocation.”

The middle-aged man stepped down to the ground at the thick voice from behind.

Behind him, a fat man with a wobbly body got out of the carriage with difficulty.

“Hey, damn it. I told you to get a bigger carriage!”

The sect leader Jang Yeol-hae’s expression hardened at his anger.

Because this carriage was already quite large.

“Keep your composure.”

Another voice came from inside the carriage.

The last person to appear was the most martial-looking of the three.

His fierce eyes and sharp features were enough to intimidate people.

“Welcome! Heroes of the Heroic Alliance!”

The Twin Swords Sect leader Jang Yeol-hae said in a seemingly hearty voice.

“Welcome to the Twin Swords Sect!”

“Welcome!”

When the forty or so Twin Swords Sect disciples who were standing together shouted in unison, the middle-aged man with the fierce expression made a satisfied expression.

“Yes, yes. You’ve worked hard.”

He said with a seemingly generous expression.

These three were the ‘experts’ sent by the Heroic Alliance.

Their appearance, wearing fancy silk clothes and expensive accessories, was quite different from that of typical martial arts experts, but it didn’t matter.

Because it was true that they were people from the Heroic Alliance.

Thud.

The Twin Swords Sect leader Jang Yeol-hae took a step forward and bowed.

“Seeing the heroes I’ve only heard about, this Jang Yeol-hae is honored for life. Hahaha.”

“The treatment isn’t very good for someone who’s honored for life.”

The middle-aged man with the sharp features said.

The sect leader Jang Yeol-hae flinched.

“N, no way. I originally prepared a splendid feast for the three of you, but the date you were supposed to arrive was three days ago… Haha.”

He had piled up all kinds of dishes and even called in courtesans [high-class female entertainers].

But the people from the Heroic Alliance hadn’t arrived.

The disciples all knew how much Jang Yeol-hae had gritted his teeth that day.

“Hey, do you think we’re people who play around without anything to do?”

The middle-aged man with the fierce expression said as if scolding.

“We’re very busy too. You should be grateful that we came all the way to this remote place, huh?”

“O, of course, I’m grateful.”

Jang Yeol-hae quickly continued, “If you just finish the Song family’s business, I’ll treat you to a wonderful meal in a great place, so don’t worry. Hahaha.”

“Hmph, it can’t be that great in this rural backwater.”

The fat man with the wobbly body snorted.

Compared to the big city of Chongqing where they came from, it was true, so Jang Yeol-hae couldn’t say anything.

At that time, the Twin Swords Sect’s chief manager slipped in.

“This place originally has many ethnic minorities.”

The chief manager said with a smile.

“They may be inferior to the colorful flowers of Chongqing, but they have their own unique charm. Hehehe.”

The faces of the two middle-aged men lit up.

However, the man with the fierce eyes didn’t react much.