Chapter 449

Nevertheless, Osan Choo felt somewhat relieved.

His thoughts went like this:

If they wanted to kill him, they would have done it long ago.

What’s the point of wrapping up the broken limbs in a blanket?

It would either be handed over to the government office, or maybe they were just wary of the aftermath from his father, the master of Hyun-gyeong, and wanted to package him up so he wouldn’t get hurt any worse.

And honestly, wasn’t the atmosphere somewhat pleasant?

He was worried that his grudge might spill over onto his son, which led to Ta-myeong passing down his survival techniques to his child.

“Engage them in conversation no matter what if you get captured by the enemy.

Those who don’t know you might just kill you without a second thought, but if they recognize your face and name, they’ll hesitate.”

“Also, make it seem like you’re friendly.

Don’t show any resentment; engage in casual conversation as if you were friends.”

People’s nature is to be more lenient towards those they know, so it’s not easy to harm someone you’ve spoken to.

Of course, he said to hide your grudge, not to let it go.

So Osan Choo was simply swallowing down his grudge silently.

Damn it. Just wait and see.

Even if I wander all my life, I will make sure to repay this humiliation.

I’ll catch your relatives, friends, and make them watch as I strip them of their flesh, piece by piece, and shove it into your mouth.

This might be the way a demon avenges a grudge.

After all, they’ve got a gag in their mouth, so they can’t speak anymore, but Osan Choo is imagining the moment of revenge long into the future.

How will you scream? I won’t kill you, but I’ll cut off your limbs and keep you alive to make you regret being born in shame and pain.

The thought of revenge was sweet.

At least until Qing shoved a torch under the blanket of his third brother without any hesitation.

“Ugh!”

The blanket was fluffy.

Even with broken limbs wrapped up, any struggle inside would only result in a slight wriggling.

And also, the blanket burns very well.

The flames spread instantly, devouring the human caterpillar wrapped in the blanket in no time.

“Uugh! Ugh!” “Ugh!” “Ugh! Ugh!”

What!? Wasn’t I supposed to be saved?

You crazy girl! How can you try to burn a person alive wearing a human mask!?

Panic-stricken voices, barely perceivable, escaped as suppressed gasps.

“Now, go!”

Qing kicked his burning third brother.

Of course, with legs three times stronger than those arms, the third brother soared, colliding with his sworn brothers.

Osan Choo, at the far end, desperately rolled away.

But then, bam.

As if the fluffy blanket were lifting him, the world spun, and he suddenly got closer to his burning siblings.

Six flaming human caterpillars.

Qing watched that sight quietly.

Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard as the fire began to die down.

One of the writhing bodies had stumbled upon a pool of blood that had flowed from a pile of corpses in the village.

Suddenly, expressions became frantic as they rolled towards the heap.

Even though they were wrapped in the blanket, the pain of their already broken limbs being crushed by the weight would be immense, yet they still struggled hard to survive.

To think they would cling to the corpses they had slain, hoping to live.

Qing stood by, curious if someone would make an effort to extinguish the flames, but how much blood could pool on the dirt ground anyway?

When someone suffers full-body burns, they reportedly lay on their knees and arms on the hospital bed.

Because even the slightest touch on the burned area is agonizing, they often adopt a posture that minimizes contact.

Could it be considered a fitting punishment for those who butchered innocent villagers just to scout the geography of the mountains?

However, should I have freed the gag?

Since they were wrapped in a blanket, they could only roll around, unable to scream, so it really wasn’t satisfying at all.

Ah. I want to hear them scream.

But if it gets too noisy, my master might come out. Jang Myung might come out too.

Not something for the elderly or kids to witness.

Qing watched the flaming human caterpillar with a satisfied expression.

Isn’t it called fire-watching back in my hometown?

Indeed, when I focus on the fire, I feel at peace, and my worries seem trivial.

Right, I’m not a heavenly agent, a herald of justice, or a judge of wickedness; I can’t slay every evildoer in the world.

All I need to do is burn the filthy and wicked things within my sight.

Just then, a thunderous growl from his stomach shocked Qing back to reality.

His eyes bulged, eyebrows arched like a “八,” mouth hanging open as he thought, ‘Ah. I’m hungry.’

If anyone saw him, they might feel an absurd impulse to observe the peculiar sight from a distance.

—-

The man’s sword split the air repeatedly.

Sharp sword strikes carried weight, like a powerful heavy sword.

Then suddenly, the man’s left hand reached out.

It was a commendable technique to fill the gap in his swordsmanship, but he froze in that position, shaking his eyebrows and looking distressed.

I had clearly vowed to achieve greatness with my sword!

How could I reach for something deceitful and cowardly instead of what was in front of me!?

Just for clarification, the man had extended his left arm.

In that fleeting moment, he had turned his left arm into something deceitful and cowardly; Namgoong Shin-jae was tormented.

A true swordsman speaks only through the sword!

But must I stubbornly push against what everyone says is impossible?

Or is it because I’m not a genius, not a sword genius, that I can’t showcase this truth to the world?

Suddenly, the vision of a Swordmaster appears.

While eating, with his usual indifferent demeanor, he pointed at him with a sword.

The Swordmaster’s voice echoed in his mind.

– “A peak swordsmanship? How embarrassing, why don’t you wave that sword outside a bit? Watching your peak sword makes me lose my appetite.”

“Ugh.”

How infuriating! It’s infuriating enough to want to punch him!

But for someone at Namgoong Shin-jae’s level, this felt far off.

The hallucinations and echoes continued.

A translucent Swordmaster held a dagger with a despicably mocking expression and said,

– “Namgoong Shin-jae, you belong more with the sword than a swordmaster.”

Then, with a vile and annoying face, he stuck out his tongue and licked the blade of the dagger, then cried out, “Ah, good!” as blood splattered everywhere—

“Hmm. Serves you right.”

Namgoong Shin-jae nodded as if he enjoyed it.

If anyone saw, they would gossip about Namgoong’s firstborn being thoroughly into delusions, now hearing voices and muttering to himself.

But they would also say he was lucky to be deep in training isolation.

Then suddenly, huh?

Namgoong Shin-jae’s eyes widened.

Come to think of it, wasn’t he the one who practiced the bizarre technique of using a sword as a hand?

Using a sword instead of a hand. Using a sword in place of a hand?

Then suddenly, a lightning bolt struck.

That’s it!

If I’m solely pursuing swordsmanship, why not hold a sword in my left hand and wield swordsmanship?

Yes! It’s dual swords, dual swords!

Dual swordsmanship refers to handling two swords as one and intertwining them into one martial art.

But what if I held two swords, each showcasing different sword styles?

Swordsmanship is inherently correct and good.

And adding goodness to goodness equals?

Incredibly good!

How could I not realize this simple truth earlier!?

I swore to become a true swordsman by solely following the path of swords, but I’ve also been trapped by the world’s perceptions.

Usually, people don’t wield two weapons because they inevitably get tangled.

Typically, they leave one hand empty and assist with techniques like posture and footwork.

Dual sword techniques or dual weapon styles are created with the assumption of wielding two weapons.

But if it’s not a dual weapon technique, using the same weapon in both hands with different martial arts is deemed incredibly foolish in the Martial World.

Because martial arts are the manifestation of the mind.

You can’t wield a swift blade with your right hand and a circular blade with your left.

Because the human mind doesn’t follow that.

If you try to draw a square with your right hand and a triangle with your left, it becomes easy to understand.

But some people can do it!

It’s not impossible, just challenging.

If even one person exists who can do it, then it’s not impossible, merely a difficult task.

Namgoong Shin-jae extends his trembling left hand.

Finally, he grips a black wooden training sword.

It clings to his hand as if whining, “Why are you only holding me now?”

In that instant, all the sword experiences he accumulated exploded at once.

It was the genuine embodiment of the swordsmanship he had absorbed with his mind and body.

Peak late stage!

The sword of the Namgoong family is the sword of a king.

But is the Namgoong’s sword the only one?

There’s also a boundless, free sword soaring through the endless blue sky.

Sky Palace’s Freedom.

That’s right.

The Namgoong’s sword was never just one; the reason Namgoong has two arms is to grasp both the kingly and sky palace swords with each hand!

Suddenly, a gigantic wall unfurled before Namgoong Shin-jae.

But Namgoong Shin-jae was already in a state of floating.

Soaring into that vast sky.

Yet, just as he was about to soar, a hand, no, a blade, grabbed hold of his ankle.

– “You mustn’t soar lightly.

A king is one who maintains a place, who stands high like a mountain, blocking the heavens, one who becomes a part of the sky. You must always hold your position, a heavy being.

How can you fly into the heavens so frivolously?”

Namgoong Shin-jae lamented.

How could a family’s sword arts possess such differing, opposite sentiments?

According to the direct lineage elders, one must enjoy and experience freedom through the Sky Palace’s sword to truly feel the weight of the king at the moment of ascension to mastery.

Yet Namgoong Shin-jae’s expression remained resolute.

No, the Sky Palace’s Freedom is also my precious sword style.

Then I will be a free king!

– “That is impossible!”

“Who dares say it’s impossible!”

– “You will walk the hardest road of all!”

“The difficulty has already become life for me! If I had chosen the easy way, I would have broken my vow to live by swordsmanship long ago!”

Namgoong Shin-jae shakes off his foot.

And he rises.

Soaring into the boundless sky without blockage.

Suddenly, Namgoong Shin-jae realizes he has crossed over that wall.

A realization that’s a total mess.

But true martial realization is always deeply personal.

In his right and left hands, training swords glow with faint blue and sky-blue starlight.

This is Qi. Is this what it means to possess the power of a Supreme Martial Artist?

Namgoong Shin-jae swings open the door to the training grounds.

It was time to announce to the world that the heir of the Namgoong family has reached the peak.

But.

Only the overseer was there to welcome him.

“Congratulations on your Great Accomplishment, young master. However, your father and mother have gone to Sichuan.”

“Hmm? What’s the occasion?”

“They simply said they were going out for a little while. They’ve left all the work to us. It’s quite excessive.”

“Hmm. If I’m not careful, I could end up with a younger sibling like a child. By the way, the Sky Palace Sect training ground was completely empty. Was there something going on?”

“There were rumors that the Divine Treasure has appeared in Shandong, so they set off in that direction.”

“Divine Treasure? There’s only one treasure worth mentioning belonging to the Shin family, right?”

“Indeed, that’s why the Sky Palace Sect must have taken action. They can’t just sit around waiting to hear if it’s real or fake.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

Namgoong Shin-jae stroked his chin.

His parents were absent to report his achievement, and also the practitioners of the Sky Palace Sect he hoped to duel were missing.

Then I guess I’ll have to continue closed-door training.

Just then.

The overseer looks at Namgoong Shin-jae with a sly smile.

“Ah. Now that you’ve achieved greatness, it’s time for you to take on the responsibilities of acting as the head of the family.”

“Hmm? What’s that all of a sudden?”

“Your father had restrained you under the pretext of reaching the peak. But now that you’ve attained it, it’s time for you to prepare to lead the family, isn’t it?”

“Hmm. Hmm.”

Namgoong Shin-jae nodded seriously, pondering.

It looks like I’m about to be saddled with overseeing everything in place of my father, who’s out gallivanting.

Hmm. I might as well run away first and think about it.

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