Chapter 445

The man’s name is Jang Bu-beom.

Originally named Jang Beom, he didn’t like the nickname he got, which meant “to settle for mediocrity,” so he changed it to Bu-beom himself.

His hometown is a small village in the corner of Seorim County, and he has a family he hasn’t seen in over ten years.

Fortunately, due to his talents, he’s been working as a ronin and has learned a few techniques to hone his inner strength, which allowed him to join the Tai Long Sword Sect in Guangxi Province.

“Ugh. Who’s curious about my personal life? How, why, where did I come from?”

Cheon Yu-hak clicked his tongue.

This is the typical self-introduction that starts with “I’m from somewhere,” but it’s actually one of the methods passed down in the Martial World to beg for one’s life.

Not knowing a person’s name or origins while eliminating an enemy, and rarely do you get to kill someone with a known background and family history—those carry different weights.

At that, Jang Bu-beom startled and hurriedly spilled every word he knew, and even those he didn’t.

“I participated in the Martial World Tournament last June. There, the Great Demon Lord found out some information indicating that there’s a divine treasure sleeping in the No Mountain of the Shandong Peninsula…”

“The Martial World Tournament? When was that? Last year?”

“This year! Ah! Not the Zhengpai’s Martial World Tournament, but the Sado Sect’s one.”

Cheon Yu-hak’s expression grew serious.

Whether the Sapa folks hold a Martial World Tournament or a sports festival doesn’t really concern him, but given their characteristic bravado, they must have drawn a huge crowd.

“Such a big event had information circulating? What kind of fool leaked that? How public was it?”

“I… I don’t know. The Great Demon Lord brought the info, and I don’t know more, but thanks to that, I was able to sneak out during the Martial World Tournament…”

That’s the reason there was a sudden drop in attendees at the Sado Sect’s Martial World Tournament, but anyway, Cheong’s group hadn’t even known there was one taking place.

Cheon Yu-hak’s face was turning grave.

“You mentioned a divine treasure. Do you even know what that is?”

“The Great Demon Lord mentioned he had some inkling, and if it’s as I suspect, it could be a great divine skill…”

“Ha. The Great Demon Lord probably didn’t elaborate. But, you’ve found the tomb? Why?”

When they met face-to-face, didn’t he ask if there was a tomb or a mysterious cave?

It’s standard to ask about a mysterious cave, but specifically asking about a tomb isn’t something to overlook.

Because there’s a saying about the tomb of Shin from Shin City.

The clue from the treasure map pointed that way—

“The Shin family tomb points towards Shin City, where the divine treasure is said to be…”

As expected, such talk arose.

Cheon Yu-hak let out a deep sigh.

This fella’s treasure map is as loose-lipped as a feather, blabbing about this monstrous thing all over the place.

How many others showed up? How many treasure-seekers arrived along the way? Every question Cheon Yu-hak asked was met with excessively obedient replies.

Jang Bu-beom, having been openly subjected to the wicked conversation of the Great Demon Lords, answered eagerly and obediently.

And then Cheon Yu-hak fell momentarily silent.

At that, Jang Bu-beom’s eyes were rolling around like crazy.

“Did you finish asking everything you wanted?”

“Well, yeah. I wasn’t expecting much anyway, but I got enough information.”

“Then, please tell me how to break through my Dantian without killing me. I happen to have some suitable practice materials.”

Jang Bu-beom, now pale-faced, hurriedly began blabbering.

Saying he had revealed all he knew and begging for mercy just this once—it was like a cliché plea.

To which Cheon Yu-hak clicked his tongue and looked askance at Cheong.

“What? Practice materials? Are you really saying that?”

Did I choose my words poorly?

Cheong beams with a sweet smile.

“Hey! Master! Didn’t you see that guy swing his sword without a single hesitation? He was definitely not a novice who did it twice or thrice. It’s not like a few herbalists stepping into the mountain would cost him much. So, how much does he look down on ordinary people?”

“Hmm.”

At that, Cheon Yu-hak’s expression softened.

“To borrow Confucius’s words, that guy is like a person who does something shameful in the middle of the road. He’s not someone you can reason with, right?”

Now Cheong, who had learned to write characters, recalls a famous anecdote often told to children learning Confucianism.

Confucius, while walking, saw a man squatting hidden in the corner of the street doing his business.

He scolded him,

“Hey, you shameless scoundrel!”

And then the man, caught in the shameful daylight, begged for forgiveness.

However, considering that Confucius was a muscular giant just under six feet tall and a master of martial arts, even if he wasn’t ashamed, he might have felt compelled to ask for forgiveness.

Then, as Confucius continued on his way, another man plops himself right in the middle of the road and starts making himself comfortable.

Confucius frowned, looking at him as if seeing the filth of the world, and quietly turned onto another path.

His disciples, puzzled, asked, “Master? That man is going right in the middle of the road, and yet you aren’t saying anything? Is it okay to do whatever he wants?”

Confucius replies:

“The man hiding on the side knows very well that what he’s doing is shameful, hence he hides to do it. If one understands their shame, he can be admonished to correct his misdeeds.

But the one who does it in the open? That child doesn’t even have reason, no point in wasting my breath.”

Cheon Yu-hak certainly knows such basic tales.

These are amusing anecdotes often shared when teaching Confucianism to children.

“Hey. No matter what, what’s with ‘practice materials’? That’s not something a Great Demon Lord would say.”

“Hehe. So you’ll teach me, right?”

At that, Jang Bu-beom freaked out and shouted.

“Wait! Didn’t I just tell everything?”

“Why? You don’t want to break through your Dantian?”

“Oh my, the Great Hero knows, right? For warriors, the Dantian is more precious than life!”

“Is that so? Then, shall I just kill you?”

“Please….”

“Then you should’ve lived more virtuously. Just looking at you, it’s clear how much trouble you’ve been causing.”

Cheong glances at the number above Jang Bu-beom’s head.

Sure. This number isn’t some absolute standard for life and death.

But it can be a guideline, right?

“I’ll, I will live virtuously.”

Cheong bursts into laughter.

“Do you think I’ve only heard that line once or twice? So I want to help you live rightly. Someone with lost inner strength and lame like you isn’t completely useless. Live honestly and try to win other people’s goodwill.”

“Wait, lame? What do you mean by that, ugh.”

Cheong skillfully clamps a gag on Jang Bu-beom’s mouth yet again.

The great wise men he learned from in Taiyuan still merely float vaguely in his mind.

Though, at least it’s different from before, where even thinking about them felt unbearable.

Okay. Let’s be honest.

Murder is merely a means to deal the most intense pain.

What I truly like are the acts of inflicting suffering—specifically, frustration, despair, sadness, and feelings of loss.

Yeah. To be frank, a sadistic pleasure murderer—that’s true.

Whether it’s from Heaven’s Kill or a side effect of demonic arts, I’m completely out of my mind.

But, what to do about this mess of a head.

So, cleaning up the trash while somewhat feeding my selfish desires as well—that wasn’t bad, was it?

Yet, after skimming through the events that unfolded in the chaotic world of the Hundreds of Schools and Thousands of Teachers, well, there’s truth to it.

If you don’t eliminate the bad guys, in the end, the good will suffer—that’s the lesson learned.

The teachings of the Hundreds of Schools and Thousands of Teachers boil down to the conclusions on how to eliminate the bad.

The legalists argued to establish laws to judge the severity of life or torture. The Mings focused on exposing the loopholes and refining the law.

The Confucians sought to create a societal atmosphere that despises evil so that through face, one would feel shame in acting wrongly.

The Physicians went right for sheer power! Let’s handle that first.

The strategists proposed halting wars! First, let’s make peace agreements.

The Mohists believed that if everyone knew everyone else, bad deeds would vanish.

The farmers argued for euthanizing those who produce nothing—i.e., those who exploit without effort—would bring peace.

Kings, nobles, organized criminals.

And landlords (important).

The rhapsodists and novelists recorded the times.

The Yin and Yang scholars insisted on understanding the reasons behind social chaos before investigating.

And the Daoists of the Hundreds of Schools and Thousands of Teachers? Well, it’s hard to say, but they seemed like fools.

You know those types, right?

The ones who don’t do any work but pick on everything others do?

The Daoists were exactly that, using all their energy to criticize other scholars while when asked what to do about it, they would spout nonsense like “if everyone lets go of their greed (wu wei), things will be alright.”

As time went on, the Daoist philosophy faded, retreating into the mountains, becoming friends with religion and asceticism, and the Daoists remained while the Daoism itself vanished.

Anyway, if I were to summarize the philosophies of the Hundreds of Schools and Thousands of Teachers in my own way…

Yeah.

The one who judges people has always been a person.

What kind of qualifications do you need to eliminate evil?

Trash is something anyone can clean up.

So this is why people must learn, I suppose.

In the past, if I thought about this, my chest would sting with guilt, making me avoid it altogether.

“Hmm. This way? Uh, it’s leaking now?”

“Well, I’ve got the gold I offered. Remember the True Energy leaking from those meridians. Just think of breaking around that area, both entrance and exit. If you’re in a hurry, breaking anywhere would work, but it could cause significant internal damage.”

“Wow.”

The Taehaksa is the head of the Hall of Literature.

Under him are the joint vice heads, the Si-ganghaksa and Si-dokhaksa.

The Si-ganghaksa is the one labeled as the best teacher in the world, and Si-dokhaksa means the one who has read the most books.

Cheon Yu-hak is the Si-ganghaksa, and he certifies that he has the qualifications of a great teacher through all his teachings.

“Let’s see. Hmm. It’s been neatly eliminated.”

“Hehe.”

Despite the warm atmosphere between the master and disciple, Jang Bu-beom, who had lost his lifetime’s inner strength, could only stare blankly into the air with tears streaming down his face.

Cheong smiles that sly smile at his sight.

What a lovely thing to witness.

“Oh. Now there’s just the leg left. The leg will hurt a bit. Hang in there.”

At that, Jang Bu-beom’s focus sharply returns.

“Ugh!”

“Whoa, don’t move! If you twist it, you’ll not just become lame but a one-legged man! You at least need to walk around, don’t you?”

“Ugh!”

However, facing Cheong’s overwhelming strength, now sheathed away from martial prowess, Jang Bu-beom, a degraded thug who couldn’t use his inner strength, had no means to resist.

Cheong, a master in anatomy, skillfully pops the joint out of the knee.

Surprisingly, Jang Bu-beom’s mouth was tight shut.

Because the pain of dislocation is one that often doesn’t even bring out a scream.

The shivering muscles seemed to transmit the agony.

Whoa, seriously. How painful must it be? He must want to die.

Without any fun like this, how else could one live, I wonder.

With great care, Cheong twists and cuts the tiny ligament with precision, then pops the knee back in place.

Jang Bu-beom, nearly at the brink of passing out (though sadly, one cannot faint from pain), droops down like he’s deflated.

“Okay. You mustn’t apply force on the right foot anymore. Well, life won’t be impossible.”

Cheong smiles brightly and asks,

“How do you feel? Do you think that Great Demon Lord will protect you, a lame guy with lost inner strength? Hmm, considering how the Sapa folks act, you’ll likely be chased away after being treated like trash.”

Hostile glares stick to Cheong.

What? Why are those eyes so wide open?

But to me, it’s a treat. I really like it.

“With that leg, jumping around will be hard. From this moment on, if you show up in my sight, I will kill you, and I won’t make it a pretty death. Until you’re begging me to just kill you, I’ll be flaying your skin and rolling you in the sand.”

The true intentions hold a unique echo of sincerity.

Moreover, Cheong is someone who does not typically hide his expressions.

At that, Jang Bu-beom’s rage-filled eyes became subdued, dropping down.

Realizing that if he continued to provoke, he’d genuinely meet his end.

And at that, Cheong felt a thrill running up his spine.

Not killing them seems quite agreeable?

Is that why even the villainous ones and those wielding their blades backwards avoided murder?

“Alright. Let’s make a run for it. You said where? Tai Long Sword Sect? Wow, how does Master memorize every bit after just hearing it once? Anyway, don’t even think of linking up with those Tai Long folks. You know what will happen if you get caught, right?”

Jang Bu-beom nodded vigorously.

At that, Cheong removes the gag and speaks.

“Head back to your hometown, or settle down somewhere else. I won’t even tell you to live virtuously. Just don’t live badly. Because honestly, with your body, you won’t last long if you live poorly. A lame person just gets killed over grudges. Live paying heed to the looks of others.”

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