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Although it hadn’t been long since I last saw them, I could sense their changes.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes!”

The Sword Squad members answered vigorously.

“A martial artist doesn’t show themselves through words. Show me how you’ve been doing through actions!”

The Sword Squad members split into two sides, creating a space in the middle.

Then, five members at a time came forward and demonstrated their skills. Just by looking at their forms, I could see their achievements.

The Minor Sword Squad had definitely grown.

At the center of this remarkable progress was Gwan Hwi.

His stamina had improved significantly, and he was executing techniques much more powerfully and accurately.

Moreover, his throwing knife skills had improved greatly, now able to hit the target more than three times in a row from thirty paces away.

“As promised, I’ll teach you how to throw knives with internal energy infusion.”

“Thank you.”

Gwan Hwi’s expression was elated. Those who had been practicing throwing knives with him looked envious, but I only taught Gwan Hwi how to use internal energy.

This was because if they tried to infuse internal energy clumsily when their skills weren’t up to par, it could lead to accidents.

Gwan Hwi demonstrated in front of everyone.

Swish!

When thrown with internal energy infusion, the speed increased dramatically.

The watching Sword Squad members cheered.

To the excited Gwan Hwi, I calmly said,

“It’s not always better to throw knives with internal energy infusion.”

“Why is that?”

“When a swordsman needs to use throwing knives, it’s usually in urgent situations. If you overdo it in a hurry, it might conflict with your sword’s internal energy usage and cause internal injuries.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“But if you practice enough, you’ll be able to freely adjust your internal energy each time.”

Gwan Hwi grinned. He would certainly aim for sufficient practice.

“Do you remember what I told you before?”

“You said it’s okay to go a little slower. That it’s good to work hard, but overdoing it can backfire.”

“Yes, it’s good that you haven’t forgotten.”

Just teaching Gwan Hwi was enough to stimulate everyone. The fact that greater rewards come to those who work harder.

I believe that such stimulation is necessary for an organization. That’s also why I made Gwang-du and Gwan Hwi compete.

“I’m thinking of accepting new Sword Squad members next spring.”

Everyone looked excited at the news of new members joining.

I was thinking of expanding by two more teams to forty members, as originally planned.

“Train hard so you won’t be embarrassed in front of your juniors!”

“Yes! Understood.”

I checked each Sword Squad member’s posture one by one.

Although it was just brief guidance, for them it was teaching that could help them achieve a whole new level of martial arts progress, depending on the case.

Come on, boys, get stronger quickly!

***

The meeting was dragging on.

Song Hwa-rin was also attending, sitting in a corner of the guest hall at Song Clan.

Today, they were dealing with matters concerning the Eastern Sword Manor[1].

It had been two months since she started learning about Song Clan’s affairs by following her father. There were various matters every day.

Some days they had to hold meetings all day like this, and on other days they had to use force to subdue opponents.

At first, she thought it wouldn’t be too difficult, but running a sect wasn’t as easy as she had imagined.

Even today, the subtle power play continued, and the same discussions were being repeated.

Although Song Hwa-rin felt really frustrated by the unreasonable demands of the other side, she tried her best not to show her emotions.

At times like this, she thought her father was truly amazing.

If it were her, she would have stormed out of the room several times. But her father continued negotiating with them patiently.

Sometimes coaxing, sometimes taking a strong stance.

As the only daughter, she would have to take over the family business someday and do this work herself.

‘Can I really do it?’

She worried whether she could handle conversations without getting angry, like her father.

After another half hour, the meeting finally ended. Fortunately, it concluded without disadvantage to Song Clan.

When they came out of the guest hall, Song Woo-gyeong smiled and said,

“Was it tough?”

“I just sat there. You had it tough, Father. You worked hard.”

“Haha. It was reassuring to have you there.”

She could feel it. Her father’s purpose wasn’t just to teach her about the business.

Her father had been feeling lonely lately.

The desire to have someone by his side, the essential loneliness that only a daughter could sense.

‘Is Father getting old now?’

Just the thought made her heart sink.

When she returned to her room, Su-ran came to report.

“Master Byeok has been waiting for a while.”

When she went outside, Byeok Ri-dan was waiting in the garden.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just a little while ago. Have you been well?”

“I’ve been fine. Did you just return from Hubei?”

“I have to go back again in a few days.”

“You’re busy.”

At the news that he was leaving again, she felt a surge of disappointment. And she was surprised to realize she felt this disappointment.

She stared at Byeok Ri-dan for a moment. No other man could look at her with such a calm gaze.

“You give me a different feeling every time I see you.”

At Song Hwa-rin’s words, Byeok Ri-dan asked curiously,

“How so?”

“I can’t express it in words, but…”

She trailed off, but she was feeling it.

He had become stronger. His body looked firmer, and his eyes had deepened to the point of transparency. His martial arts skills must have improved as well.

Honestly, she was attracted to Byeok Ri-dan. When she heard he had come, she was greatly pleased, and when she saw his face, the fatigue from the earlier meeting completely vanished.

But she didn’t want to reveal these feelings. She had been the one to suggest breaking off the engagement first, so she couldn’t now say her heart had changed.

Afraid her feelings might show, she changed the subject.

“You have two swords?”

Her gaze turned to my swords.

I was carrying two swords at my waist.

One was the Thousand Birds Sword, and the other was the Asura Bright King Sword.

I had no intention of modifying the Asura Bright King Sword. It was originally a sword that didn’t stand out, so at a glance, it was hard to recognize it as the Asura Bright King Sword.

Still, just in case, I had wrapped dark cloth around the handle. Since there were martial artists who wrapped rough-textured cloth around sword handles to prevent slipping, it wouldn’t look too strange.

At first, I thought about keeping the Asura Bright King Sword in the secret room of Immortal Crane Peak.

But I decided not to.

Since the sword had sought me out on its own, I would always keep it by my side.

As I was becoming more familiar with the Immortal Crane Secret Art, there was rarely a need to draw the Asura Bright King Sword. If a situation arose where I needed to draw the Asura Bright King Sword, it would be a chaotic situation anyway.

Also, since there was no need to carry two swords around, I was thinking of giving the modified Thousand Birds Sword to someone soon.

I tapped the Asura Bright King Sword and said,

“I got a decent sword. Shall we take a walk?”

“Sure.”

I walked with her in the backyard.

The winter air was cold. But as cold as it was, it was refreshing.

It was winter when I first met her, and now it was winter again.

There had been many changes over the past year. Both I and she had changed a lot.

“Thank you for taking care of my mother while I was away.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just what I should do.”

“By the way, how’s that technique you were working on last time?”

She was in the process of modifying her technique that had a fatal flaw.

“I’m still working on it. Trying this way and that. It’s not as easy as I thought. When I think I’ve found a proper method, I’ll show you. Will you check it for me then?”

“Of course.”

I was impressed that she was still trying to figure it out on her own. Yes, her skills would improve a lot in the process of finding it.

“Shall we have a drink?”

I said it without thinking, then belatedly realized my mistake.

“Ah, sorry. You don’t drink, right?”

Then she threw out an unexpected suggestion.

“Let’s have one. Instead of getting drunk on alcohol, I can get drunk on the atmosphere. I’ll treat.”

***

The name of the tavern we went to together was Phoenix[2].

This tavern with a special name was located about halfway between Qufu and Chucheng. She guided us there, saying there was a place with a nice atmosphere.

Although it was quite a distance, I didn’t regret coming once we arrived.

Usually, when you think of a tavern, you imagine cooks shouting from the kitchen, busy servers running around, merchants and martial artists drinking and talking about the martial world. It’s noisy and bustling, similar wherever you go.

But this place was different.

In the brightly lit and clean establishment, musicians were playing instruments, and there was even a stage to one side. It had the atmosphere of a banquet hall tavern.

Seeing me look around, she said,

“What’s wrong? You look like it’s your first time here.”

“It is my first time.”

“I know you often drank here with women.”

Well, that rascal Byeok Ri-dan wouldn’t have not visited a place like this.

Perhaps because of the good atmosphere, most of the customers were couples.

Following the guiding server, we sat at a table to the side.

We ordered drinks and food, and tea for her.

“When did you come here?”

“When I first returned and heard you often came here… I came once. I was curious what kind of place it was.”

It was an unexpected reason.

Soon after, the drinks and food arrived. It was about twice as expensive as a regular tavern, but rather than the taste being special, this place competed with its atmosphere.

Drinking while listening to the soft flowing music created a strange mood.

“These days I’m seriously learning about Song Clan affairs.”

I had met Song Woo-gyeong and Song Hwa-rin once while riding in a carriage with Ma Jeongsu. It seemed they were returning from handling Song Clan business then too.

“The work is harder than I thought.”

I nodded in sympathy.

“Me too.”

“But you’re doing well, aren’t you? Honestly, your Minor Sword Squad was a stimulus for me. It made me want to do as well as that. But it’s just difficult, and I haven’t even properly started yet.”

She made a troubled expression and drank her tea as if it were alcohol.

She’s now twenty-one years old.

It’s difficult, isn’t it? How could it not be difficult for a twenty-one-year-old youth? Sometimes even I feel this martial world is too overwhelming.

“As you do it, you’ll get used to it, and then you’ll be able to do well.”

“You think so?”

“Of course.”

I raised my cup. She raised her teacup to toast.

“Let’s do our best.”

Dancers came up on the stage. The soft music changed to fast music.

The dancers began to dance, and we watched for a while.

“I envy people who dance well. How can they dance like that?”

At her words, I smiled and said,

“I think you’d dance well too.”

Song Hwa-rin waved her hands and shook her head.

“I’m a complete log.”

“Haha.”

Talking about dance reminds me of the Empress of Pleasure, an absolute master of the demonic faction from the past.

Her unique martial art was the Death God Dance. It was a dance of death that sucked out the internal energy of people who were entranced by the dance.

She really was the ultimate dancer.

Of course, she danced a seductive dance as her final secret technique, even stripping naked, but in the end, she was torn apart by my sword.

Song Hwa-rin applauded the dancers.

“Ah, it’s wonderful.”

I joined in the applause.

“They really dance well.”

Watching the dancers, I realized one thing.

That although I had seen countless dances by dancers at numerous banquets, I had never watched their dance this closely before.

I was always busy. At banquets, I always had to meet many people and was busy conversing with them. I treated the dancers’ performances as mere background. Like a painting on the wall. I lived thinking it was natural for there to be dancers at a banquet hall.

This tavern is the same.

If I hadn’t come here with her, I wouldn’t have known such a place existed.

Although I act as if I know everything about the martial world because I lived for seventy years, things I don’t know exist in this martial world like this. There are things I haven’t experienced.

The realization with Chilho in the carriage was like this too.

Words casually uttered, but things I had never properly recognized.

To enter the Realm of the Mind Sword, I spent many hours a day in meditation, and read all sorts of difficult martial arts manuals and scriptures. I read books containing the wisdom of sages, and books left by scholars, painters, and musicians.

But even so, I couldn’t enter the Realm of the Mind Sword.

Now I feel it.

That great truths are not found in grand places. That they are in a single unremarkable word, in a dancer’s dance, in a mole cricket or an ant.

I am a person who has decided to live this life differently.

It’s not about living differently just by vaguely having a different job or meeting different people.

I felt the need to look at the world anew. So when I see things I haven’t seen before, I can finally live a new life, and I became convinced that at the end of that path lies the Realm of the Mind Sword.

I could gain some kind of enlightenment even at this place today.

Oh? Come to think of it?

Coincidentally, I had gained two realizations in this life not from martial arts training, but from everyday life. And both times in the company of women.

Does this mean I need to go around meeting women to reach the Realm of the Mind Sword?