Book 1 Chapter 22: When Spring Arrives at the Crossroad (1)
Translator: Hwarang
Editor: Kidyeon
Kw.a.n.g Du was in the yard, deeply engrossed in his training.
It seemed that he’d fully mastered the first three stances of the Seven Stances of the North Sea.
I could tell that he had natural talent for martial arts. Even though he might not be considered a genius, it was still almost second nature to him. It might be fate that natural talents follow me, considering that both Kw.a.n.g Du and Byuk Lee Dan are both natural talents.
Kw.a.n.g Du didn’t even notice me creeping up behind him, he was so focused on his training. Seeing how sweaty he was, I remembered the days when I was just as deeply focused on training; such that I didn’t have a clue what was going on around me.
Now that I think about it, what drove me to train like that?
Back then, I wanted to become the strongest. I wanted be the strongest in all of Kang Ho. That’s right; desire for strength was what allowed me to become the Strongest Under the Heavens.
If desire is what drove me to who I became, I wonder what’s driving Kw.a.n.g Du?
“Hey punk! Even if ten a.s.sa.s.sins came and went, you wouldn’t even notice, would you?”
“Huh? When did you get here?”
“I just came by to see if you were fooling around.”
“Were you watching me practice young master?”
Kw.a.n.g Du asked me. After seeing me nod, he asked, “How did I look young master?”
He was honestly growing at a surprising rate. He was like an innocent child who had a knack for learning martial arts.
I replied with a smile in my face, “Let me teach you the last four stances of the Seven Stances of the North Sea.”
“Oh.” Kw.a.n.g Du’s face brightened.
As I taught him the last four stances, I made sure to show him the stances step-by-step like before.
How could he know that no one else in Kang Ho had the privilege of learning things as in-depth and profound as he was. It was only because of me that he was able to master the profound technique known as the ‘Seven Stances of the North Sea’ so easily.
“Alright, I’ve finished teaching you the rest of the Seven Stances of the North Sea.”
“Thank you very much, young master.”
“Even if two people use the same martial art, there will be a difference in their strength depending on the person using the martial art. Let me remind you once again: The most important thing about martial arts is always the person that’s using them. Remember this.”
“I will.”
“Now then, start practicing with this sword.”
“Oh! Did you buy it just for me young master?”
“Indeed. I sold the one that you bought a while back.”
On my way back I bought a decent sword from a weapon shop I pa.s.sed by. Even though it wasn’t the best sword, nor the most expensive one, it was still a good sword.
“Young Master….”
I quickly replied since he looked like he was so moved he was about to start crying. “Anyways, just take out the sword.”
With his hands shaking, Kw.a.n.g Du unsheathed the sword.
“This sword feels different somehow. Is it because you bought a special sword for me? It feels better than most other swords and sabers that I’ve held before.”
“You punk. You’re just saying that since you don’t know much about swords.”
Divine Sword and Sabers were special. Even if you only held it, you’d be able to feel the difference. Even the creation process was entirely different from regular swords and sabers. Just by grabbing the hilt you’d find a perfect balance. These divine blades have a level sharpness that’s hard to describe, yet is perfectly firm—which makes it seem like there’s nothing that these blades can’t cut. These are the major differences between divine blades and regular ones.
I hope that one day, Kw.a.n.g Du might have a chance to get his hands on one of these blades.
“First, focus your attention on the hand you’re holding the sword with. As of right now, this sword is more important than the chopsticks you eat your food with.”
“Yes young master.”
“In the beginning, the sword might be scary. However, you must be friendly with it, since it will save both you and your allies’ lives.
Your goal is to become one with the sword.”
“To become one with the sword? What does that mean young master?”
“Do you ever think about your arm during your everyday life?”
“No.”
“It’s just like that. You must become familiar with the sword to the point that it’s akin to a part of your body. The sword must become an extension of your arm.”
“Oh! I understand. Where did you learn something like this young master? I’ve never seen you read any books. Is it something from the Seven Stances of the North Sea?”
“Yes.”
I just answered him with an affirmation. But who was I? I’m the Strongest Under the Heavens.
“I’m leaving. Go train.”
“Yes, young master.”
I turned around, then asked Kw.a.n.g Du, “Have you ever hated someone before?”
He silently stared at me.
“You punk, not me.”
“Umm... Yang Gi Kang. I hate that guy.”
“Right? You hate him. That’s what it means to hate, right?.”
“Why?”
“Never mind”
“Young master, did someone say that they hated you? Er, actually, I think that’s the wrong question to ask, since everyone already seems to hate you. How much did they say they hate you?”
After saying this, Kw.a.n.g Du ran away from me.
Seeing me rotate my wrist, wanting to discipline him, he giggled from a distance.
If Kal Sa Ryung and Baek Pyo were to see me like this, they’d probably be in shock from how much I had changed, since they were closest to me. They were one of the only few who I could have a proper conversation with, since most people were scared of me. When most people came to see me, they put on a different att.i.tude because they were afraid of me.
Was I happy?
At one point I was.
At one point, I felt that this was how I should show my power. That this was my pride. But now that I’m looking back, it feels as if that was unnecessary. How much better it would have been if I’d been able to joke around like this with more people.
Well, there are bound to be regrets in life.
As I was walking away, Kw.a.n.g Du suddenly said, “I’m sure that once they get to know you more, they will naturally come to like you.”
I won’t make the same mistake twice.
***
Song Wu Kyung visited our house.
Since this visit was unexpected, Byuk Do Joon was nervous. This was the first time that Song Wu Kyung had visited like this.
“I just came by to see you.”
“Good. Since you are here, shall we share a few drinks?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Just by seeing their faces, I could tell that they had a close relationship for a long time. Byuk Do Jun was thankful to Song Wu Kyung. When his family had been in crisis, his friend hadn’t canceled their engagement. This showed how much of a bond these two shared.
When our family wasn’t doing so well, he wanted to lend us some money, but since he wanted to save his friend some face, he didn’t mention it. My father was very thankful for this.
They had a friendly conversation as they exchanged drinks.
“Now that the Mengju has pa.s.sed away, Kang Ho is starting to become chaotic.”
Byuk Do Jun nodded and replied, “It seems so, considering that it was under the control of a single person for so long.”
“Couple of days ago, Ko Soon Kyung visited our house.”
“Ko Soon Kyung?”
Ko Soon Kyung was the owner of the San Dong merchant shop. It was the biggest shop in San Dong.
“What did he say?”
“He proposed that we gather everyone from San Dong and create a San Dong Alliance.”
“A San Dong Alliance?”
Byuk Do Joon was surprised to hear something like this.
“The previous Mengju banned the formation of Alliances.”
The Strongest Under the Heavens had banned the formation of Alliances since it would bring more chaos to Kang Ho; mainly because there would be internal power struggles between different alliances.
“But now the Mengju is gone. Other places have already started creating alliances. We should also make a move before a new Mengju is decided. Even if a new Mengju is decided, his influence won’t be that great immediately.”
This was something that Byuk Do Joon had never thought about. He knew that he wasn’t very good at dealing with political things.
“I’m not saying to create an alliance right now. Right now I just want to set the groundwork for one. Working with different merchant groups and clans. I came here to get your advice.”
His words showed signs that he had already been somewhat persuaded by Ko Soon Kyung. If he had refused Ko Soon Kyung there was no way that he’d have come all the way here.
My father understood him well.
The most important thing needed to create an alliance was influence and money. Currently, the Song Clan had the most influence in San Dong.
“Although the Yang Clan has the most influence normally, you know that they are still recuperating from their internal strife. Since they’re not able to do anything right now, isn’t this a great opportunity to become the strongest clan in Sang Dong? Therefor, I need your help.”
He was just showing my father face. Even without our help, the Song clan had enough power and influence to become the strongest in San Dong.
“To tell you the truth, I can’t resist the thought of becoming the strongest clan in San Dong.”
“I understand how you feel.”
Everyone has at least some level of desire to become the greatest power in their respective region. Byuk Do Joon had already risen to this position once.
“I respect your thoughts and want to help you. However, I want to warn you about something. Once you grab hold of their hands, you will experience things that you have never experienced before.”
“I am prepared for that.”
“How long did they give you to make up your mind?”
“They gave me a couple of days to think it over.”
After emptying the wine bottle, Song Wu Kyung added, “Kang Ho is changing by the day.”
***
Before Song Wu Kyung left, he visited me.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes, I’ve been well sir.”
We were still in an awkward position. Since we hadn’t canceled the engagement, he was still my father-in-law.
“I knew that you were in your rebellious phase.”
“I am ashamed.”
“It’s all right. Everyone goes through this. It’s better that you go through this now, since it will help you grow in the future.”
I was thankful towards him since he was saying these things to me. His actions showed the close relationship held between him and my father. I was quite jealous of their relationship since I had never experienced something like it in my previous life.
“Did you meet Hwa Rin-ee today?”
“Yes, by chance.”
“By chance? Why would you use words like that when you two are engaged.”
“...I apologize.”
“Is what she said that day bothering you that much? Don’t mind what she said too much. She’s just a girl.”
“But you know those were her true feelings.”
“Hey!”
“I think that what Rin-ee said is right. We should at least be able to decide who we want to marry.”
Song Wu Kyung stared at me with a disappointed look. However I didn’t mind it too much since I didn’t have any thoughts of marrying her. I just didn’t want him get his hopes up too high.
“I still won’t give up on you.”
He left after saying that. Afterwards, Kw.a.n.g Du, who’d been waiting outside, came in.
“Why did you say something like that? You should’ve just said that you will do better in the future.”
“You still want me to be marry Song Hwa Rin?”
“Is that even a question young master?”
“What?”
“‘What’? Haven’t I told you many times before? Because she is beautiful. And beside her beauty, she is from a good clan, she is intelligent, and her father also has a lot of face. What other reasons do you need? Since you’ve been blessed with so much luck, I think that you could be a hero of Kang Ho that’s reincarnated.”
Eh? You think that I’m a reincarnated hero of Kang Ho?
“But something important is missing.”
“What? Her personality? I think that it’s alright. So what if she has some personality issues? I think it’s better to marry someone who has some personality issues, since it won’t make your life too boring. Just bear with it!”
“But there’s no love between us.”
Kw.a.n.g Du seemed pretty surprised.
“We don’t love each other.”
Kw.a.n.g Du still looked at me, dazed.
“What, did I say something wrong?”
“No.”
“Then why are you looking at me like that”
“I just think that you’ve really grown up, young master. Just a minute ago, you really… acted like an adult.”
I replied with a big smile.
“By the way, what did you come here for?”
Kw.a.n.g Du said, “Oh, Gaju-nim called you.”