Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 37

37. Daily Life

With an awkward smile, Unhyun replied to Eunuch Park.

“No, it’s nothing much. I was just practicing my swordsmanship in my head, and something suddenly came to mind…”

“Ah! So that strange, dance-like thing was you practicing your swordsmanship without a sword.”

Unhyun’s face instantly tightened, but Eunuch Park’s face brightened with a smile.

“T-that’s become a rumor too?”

“Hehe, Scholar Unhyun, you’ve always been the subject of many rumors, so you don’t need to worry too much about it.”

He said it as if it were nothing, but Unhyun’s expression soured even more.

“All sorts of rumors? What on earth…? Sigh.”

Unhyun gave up trying to ask what those rumors were.

He couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of rumors they were, and now he didn’t even want to know.

His reputation seemed to be as far removed from dignity or nobility as heaven and earth, so perhaps it was better not to worry about it, as Eunuch Park said.

“But what suddenly came to mind?”

“Ah, that’s…”

At Eunuch Park’s question, returning to the original topic, Unhyun looked sheepish again.

“I was thinking of creating a new sword form…”

“Oh, a sword form, you say?”

Eunuch Park showed interest, his eyes gleaming.

Avoiding Eunuch Park’s sparkling eyes, which seemed to want to hear more, Unhyun trailed off.

“It’s nothing worth mentioning to others. It’s just that I wanted to create something simple that even a child could learn.”

Eunuch Park tilted his head.

‘To think he’s creating a simple sword form that even a child could wield…’

Sensing Eunuch Park’s thoughts, Unhyun added.

“Aren’t many of the world’s sword techniques ultimately starting from simple movements? Just as the world’s countless calligraphy styles originate from eight basic brushstrokes. So…”

Unhyun trailed off.

However, Eunuch Park nodded as if he understood.

“Oh, indeed. Is it a return to the fundamentals? If I have the chance, I would definitely like to see it.”

“I-it’s not that impressive.”

Unhyun’s face turned even redder.

Amused by his reaction, Eunuch Park grinned incessantly.

However, he didn’t prolong the conversation.

“Then I must be going now.”

As Eunuch Park stood up, Unhyun lightly bowed his head.

“Ah, okay. Then see you later.”

“Yes, please take care of yourself, Scholar.”

Bowing deeply, Eunuch Park hurried out of the Munyeongak’s [Hall of Literary Glory’s] miscellaneous books area.

Descending the stairs at the entrance of Munyeongak, he put his hand inside his robes and touched the letter he had received from Unhyun.

“Now, who should I entrust this to…”

There were many people he could ask to deliver the letter.

There were plenty of people who wanted to be connected to the Imperial Palace.

Recalling the faces of several people who flashed through his mind, Eunuch Park hastened his steps with Unhyun’s letter in his possession.

***

Swish, swish.

Under the candlelight, Unhyun’s brush danced across the page.

The scent of ink rising from the brush filled the room, and the fine white paper was dyed with elegant letters.

Rustle.

Only the sound of paper rustling occasionally echoed in the room, and no hesitation could be found on Unhyun’s face, which shone with sincerity.

How much time had passed?

Thud.

After drawing the last stroke, Unhyun put down his brush.

“Hoo.”

Unhyun took a long breath and looked at the paper where black letters were writhing.

No longer could it be called blank paper; it was densely filled with the details of the martial arts contest that the storyteller had told him about today.

With this, another report was completed.

“Hoo-oo.”

Another long sigh was somewhat different from before.

‘Not a single sentence was written lightly…’

However, this report would never see the light of day.

Its destined fate would probably be to be buried in a corner of an unknown bookshelf, and one day be burned or discarded like trash.

‘If only this Dokgo-rang [a wandering swordsman] person could see this report…’

Everyone is interested in their own affairs.

Dokgo-rang, who could be said to be the protagonist of this report, would read this lengthy report very seriously.

Perhaps even with enthusiasm.

‘Hehe.’

Looking down at the report, Unhyun naturally began to think about Dokgo-rang.

‘Dokgo-rang…’

This Dokgo-rang, who was stirring up Anhui Province, was quite a unique case.

He visited famous sects, regardless of whether they were righteous or evil, and requested martial arts contests.

Most sects naturally did not want to accept the contests, and Dokgo-rang used drastic methods to provoke his opponents into fighting.

He didn’t always win.

Sometimes, he was almost killed by opponents who were enraged by his rudeness.

However, his swordsmanship made the name Dokgo-rang known throughout Anhui Province.

‘His subsequent actions are very admirable.’

People flocked to him, drawn by his reputation.

However, Dokgo-rang did not form a faction.

He did not accept even the smallest offer of help.

Like the nickname of a solitary wanderer that had stuck to him, he was like a lone vagabond.

‘The solitary swordsman, Dokgo-rang.’

No one knew why Dokgo-rang risked his life to engage in martial arts contests.

However, one thing was clear.

He was a man who pursued only the sword.

Unhyun knew that too. It was clearly revealed in his swordsmanship even before tracing his actions.

Before he knew it, the path of the solitary swordsman Dokgo-rang began to unfold like a painting in Unhyun’s mind.

‘Did they say that no one can truly understand his sword?’

Dokgo-rang’s swordsmanship was very unconventional.

Like his actions that people could not understand, his swordsmanship was a heresy that did not belong anywhere.

What is he pursuing?

What is Dokgo-rang looking for as he continues his martial arts contests, and what does his sword truly mean?

To people, the solitary swordsman Dokgo-rang was like a riddle.

However, Unhyun felt like he knew the answer.

‘He is looking for someone to truly answer his sword.’

Unhyun felt like he knew what kind of path he was pursuing, and what the meaning of his swordsmanship, which was changing in the repeated martial arts contests, was.

Even the heart of the solitary wanderer, which no one knew, seemed visible to Unhyun.

It was like the answer to a riddle that Dokgo-rang’s sword itself was teaching.

‘The fact that he is still continuing his martial arts contests means that he has not met a satisfactory answer.’

Unhyun’s face began to flush slightly.

His eyes, which had been calmly sinking, began to shine again, and thoughts began to race back and forth in his mind.

‘Hmm.’

In connection with the new sword form that Unhyun himself was conceiving, the question posed by the sword of Dokgo-rang was very interesting.

The words in his heart that he wanted to answer him with were already blooming one by one into fluent sentences.

‘Hmm.’

Unhyun hesitated for a moment.

He had already written and sent several letters like this.

And each time, Unhyun felt a hint of self-reproach.

Sending letters to famous masters while hiding his identity was embarrassing even to himself.

It was not an honorable thing for a scholar to do, and it was not something a scholar should do, was it?

However, there were plenty of excuses.

‘Let’s decide whether to send the letter later, and just write it down for now.’

The temptation easily bypassed the pangs of conscience.

The rebellion against his situation of having to rot in a corner of the Forbidden City also joined in, and Unhyun picked up his brush without thinking twice.

Swish.

He forgot that there was not a single letter among the letters written in this way that he had not sent.

Right now, Unhyun’s mind was filled with the words he wanted to say to Dokgo-rang.

Rustle, rustle.

Unhyun’s brush began to raise the scent of ink.

There was no hesitation.

It didn’t matter whether his words to Dokgo-rang were right or wrong.

The swordsmanship that would be written in this letter was Unhyun’s own response to Dokgo-rang’s sword.

Saaak.

The brush danced, and black letters revealed an elegant appearance on the white paper.

Completely immersed, Unhyun wielded his brush with a flushed face.

Thus, the night in the Forbidden City was deepening.

***

Clang.

A faint sound of wind chimes echoed in a small open space.

In the middle of the open space, Unhyun was standing with a crude wooden sword.

Compared to the other splendid places in the Forbidden City, it was a small and even shabby open space, but it was a place with deep meaning for Unhyun, along with the memories of Ilchunhyeon Gyodu [his deceased martial arts mentor].

“Hmm.”

Unhyun held the wooden sword and turned it around.

As if something was bothering him, he kept tilting his head.

‘The feeling is a bit strange…’

Since that day, Unhyun had been training without holding a wooden sword.

Thanks to that, rumors of a strange dance had even spread, but since it was something that Ilchunhyeon Gyodu had asked him to do, Unhyun could not neglect it.

The reason he had picked up the wooden sword again after a long time was to test his new sword form and to perform the swordsmanship written in the letter to Dokgo-rang.

The problem was that the feel of the wooden sword was a bit unfamiliar.

“Seriously.”

Thinking about it, it was a very strange thing.

When he imagined holding the sword, he always recalled the feel of this wooden sword, but when he actually held the wooden sword again, it felt different.

Rather, it felt more awkward now that he was actually holding the wooden sword.

‘Is this also a natural result of training?’

He was curious, but there was no one to ask.

Besides, this subtle difference in feeling was quite bothersome to Unhyun.

He tried holding it in different ways, but no matter what he did, it was different from the feeling of holding the sword in his mind.

Unhyun was fiddling with the wooden sword as if he was not satisfied.

“That’s right!”

Unhyun’s face, which had been frowning for a while, brightened.

Suddenly, a good idea came to mind.

‘Since it doesn’t truly exist anyway…’

Holding the sword in his mind is creating a sword where there is nothing.

Then it means that it doesn’t matter what you are holding.

Since it is a sword of the mind that does not exist anyway, what difference does it make whether you hold it with empty hands or overlap it with a wooden sword?

Swish.

Unhyun held the wooden sword and quietly closed his eyes.

And calmly taking a breath, he once again imagined the sword in his mind.

The sword of the mind slowly began to overlap on the hand holding the wooden sword.

Woo-oong.

‘That’s it.’

Unhyun confirmed that the feel of the wooden sword he was holding had subtly changed.

‘This is it.’

Without realizing it, Unhyun smiled.

There was no way the actual wooden sword had changed, but the sensation transmitted through his hand was clearly different.

The sword of the mind, clearer than what he held in his hand and more distinct than what he saw with his eyes.

It was Unhyun’s only true sword in this world.

Woo-oong.

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that an unfamiliar energy was lingering on the wooden sword.

It looked similar to the energy that had lingered on his wooden sword before he trained the sword of the mind, but it was clearer and more distinct.

‘Brother…’

This amazing change was probably thanks to Ilchunhyeon Gyodu.

His inner strength that he left behind, his warm affection, was still alive and breathing within Unhyun.

Rustle.

Suddenly, a sense of longing surged up, and Unhyun unknowingly raised his hand and touched his chest.

Unhyun’s hand, confirming the feel of the small ring under his clothes, gained strength.

His sworn brother, Ilchunhyeon Gyodu, was dignified even when facing death.

For his sake, he must never become a weak person.

Not just the strength of having power or authority, but a truly strong human being who faces life with dignity, a true gentleman and a great man.

Swish.

Unhyun took a breath and slowly raised his sword.

The blue sky was faintly visible at the tip of Unhyun’s sword.