It was just another day when Cheong-un, the third disciple of the Mount Wu sect, decided to visit the bookstore.
Of course, he wasn’t sneaking in like the younger disciples looking for risqué novels or… gasp smut.
“Do you read those naughty books too, Cheong-un? What’s up with that? Why are you looking at stuff like this?”
Cheong-un, known for his diligence, was leafing through a book. The younger disciples often hoped he was up to the same shenanigans as them, but each time they peeked, they quickly recoiled in horror after seeing the actual title.
What he was actually reading was a Taoist text, tales of local customs from the Central Plains, and oh-so-moral stories.
“Surprisingly, this is pretty interesting.”
“Wow, that’s so like you, reading that kind of stuff. How about picking up an actual interesting storybook instead?”
The younger disciple shook his head and scampered off.
If their master had seen this, he would’ve scolded him for such disrespect, but he was off on a short outing with the other disciples.
“Those brats… I read interesting stuff sometimes too!”
Cheong-un set the book down and wandered over to the new arrivals shelf full of novels.
He didn’t only enjoy the boring and dusty old books. Of course, he wasn’t looking for books that would interfere with his training, like those ahem spicy novels.
He’d much rather peruse classic fairy tales or tales about famous warriors.
“I’ve read ‘The Legend of Gwak Gyeobyeong,’ ‘The Biography of Ak Bye,’ ‘The Story of the Invincible King,’ and so on. Am I really going to find anything novel here?”
He was a tad disappointed to find that the ‘new arrivals’ were all books he had already read. Meanwhile, the naughty novels that the younger disciples sneaked a peek at had new releases every other day, and it seemed he could hardly find anything new in his preferred genre.
“Is there really nothing good to read?”
Cheong-un gazed at the jumble of books piled haphazardly beside the bookshelf. Books that no one wanted or old ones often ended up in such heaps instead of on the shelves.
Maybe he’d find a treasure hidden in there.
With a glimmer of hope, he began his book excavation.
“What’s this? I’ve never seen this title before: Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
The book was written on rough paper with some subpar ink. The content wasn’t bad, but the letters on the cover had faded quite a bit.
If anyone else saw it, they would have just walked by, but the thirsty Cheong-un couldn’t resist opening the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.
“The protagonist is from the Mount Wu sect!”
Who would dare impersonate a disciple of the mighty Mount Wu? For a moment, Cheong-un considered slamming the book shut, but curiosity kept him reading.
The story began with the happy daily life of the young protagonist, Un-hyeon, which soon took a dark turn.
Known for his intelligence, Un-hyeon lost his parents to bandits one fateful day. Just before he died himself, he was saved by a passing Taoist from the Mount Wu sect.
The Taoist, recognizing his talent, offered him a chance to become his disciple. Un-hyeon pledged a solemn oath before his parents’ grave.
[Father, Mother, I will learn the sword so that no one like me is born again.]
“……”
The young protagonist’s misfortune and keen mind drew Cheong-un deeper into the story.
Although the Mount Wu sect was a Taoist school, even its disciples weren’t complete saints. They were typically children from affluent or politically well-connected families, or at least had parents who could secretly support them during their time at Mount Wu.
So, Un-hyeon, as a complete orphan, became the target of bullying.
The unprovoked malice of the other kids tormented him continuously.
‘It’s just like my old situation.’
Cheong-un felt a sense of camaraderie with Un-hyeon. He, too, was an orphan who had lost his parents to bandits. He even experienced bullying himself.
In a typical situation, a kid like that would cry and give up. But Un-hyeon, remembering his promise to his parents, persevered, training continuously. Perhaps it was his remarkable talent, or maybe it was thanks to his promise, but Un-hyeon’s martial skills improved day by day.
At the regular martial arts competition held at Mount Wu…
Un-hyeon challenged the leader of his bullies.
A gap of several years separated the leader from Un-hyeon. Normally, it would have been a hopelessly desperate situation for Un-hyeon.
‘How on earth does he plan to win?’
Un-hyeon was busy dodging and blocking the attacks of his opponent, desperately trying not to get hit. At this rate, he would surely lose, Cheong-un thought while reading.
Yet Un-hyeon didn’t rush. He was patiently waiting for the right moment.
Unbeknownst to his opponent, who was becoming increasingly frustrated by his inability to land a hit, the anxiousness made the opponent’s movements sloppy and erratic. That was the moment Un-hyeon had been waiting for.
Un-hyeon’s talent bloomed.
Slow but steady wins the race.
He used the opponent’s frantic flails against him and successfully pinned him down. Everyone gasped. Un-hyeon revealed the martial arts wisdom of the Mount Wu sect… at such a young age!
“Awesome! You did it!”
Cheong-un exhaled a cheer before he knew it.
“Ahem.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
The bookstore owner shot him a warning glance and for a moment, Cheong-un felt a bit embarrassed. But he absolutely couldn’t put the book down; the next plot twist was too tantalizing.
After Un-hyeon took down the bully, the way others looked at him began to change. His talents, efforts, and character began to spread throughout the Mount Wu sect.
Soon after, the elders of Mount Wu discussed whether Un-hyeon should be taught the revered Taiji Sword Technique.
“Un-hyeon is definitely deserving of the Taiji Sword Technique!”
Un-hyeon was the perfect candidate to be a pillar for the future of Mount Wu.
In no time, Cheong-un had completely forgotten about the kid who impersonated a disciple of Mount Wu. Instead, all he saw was Un-hyeon, the future successor of the Taiji Sword Technique.
[I want to become a hero!]
One day, after learning the Taiji Sword Technique, Un-hyeon went to his master and expressed his hidden ambition.
[That’s out of the question. In the past, disciples of Mount Wu have ventured out as heroes before. But such actions led to a pile of enmities, and a great deal of blood flowed back into Mount Wu. Absolutely not.]
[I learned the sword because I wanted to become a hero!]
[If you want to help others, then lend your sword to those who offer donations to Mount Wu. Word is a nobleman is being targeted for assassination. Would you like to escort him for a bit?]
[I am not the kind of hero who does that!!]
[Who do you think you are to shout like that! If you desire to be a hero, then give up everything you have from Mount Wu. I will never allow you to go out and use the sword of Mount Wu for personal enmity!!]
[Master!!]
To be told to forsake everything from Mount Wu meant to stop using the techniques and inner arts of Mount Wu. Now that Un-hyeon had become Mount Wu itself, he could not relinquish that.
“Your master’s words are wise, but Un-hyeon’s aspirations are just as valid.”
If someone had told Cheong-un that he wanted to become a hero, he would have dissuaded them just like Un-hyeon’s master. But Cheong-un, completely immersed in Un-hyeon’s plight, empathized with his feelings.
[I learned the sword to be a hero. If I cannot become a hero, then what has all my hard work been for? But your words are true as well. If the grudge I create with my sword causes blood to spill among my seniors and fellow disciples, that would be unacceptable.]
As Cheong-un observed Un-hyeon, he too was wrestling with his master’s words.
Un-hyeon strolled along Mount Wu, deep in thought, eventually standing before a cliff. However, he unexpectedly encountered a demon who had invaded Mount Wu.
He succeeded in defeating the demon, but ultimately, Un-hyeon was injured and fell off the cliff.
By the time his master and fellow disciples rushed over, Un-hyeon’s body had vanished without a trace.
“Wha—?”
What was going on?
Un-hyeon, who had vowed in front of his parents while wiping away tears, was such an incredible kid who had never once complained, even after grueling training. And now, on the brink of enjoying the privilege of being the successor of the Taiji Sword Technique, he wanted to become a hero.
A brilliant talent of Mount Wu, Un-hyeon.
Was he really going to die like this?
Though Cheong-un had learned to calm his mind in Mount Wu, at this moment, it was exceptionally hard to keep his composure.
If the writer of this cursed tale were right before him, he would have drawn his sword in anger. How could he let such a promising child perish? What kind of madness was this?
Thankfully, he hadn’t gone completely mad because there was still more to read. Un-hyeon couldn’t just die like this. Eagerly, Cheong-un flipped to the next page.
[Where the heck am I… ?]
Fortunately, Un-hyeon was still alive! He had fallen into a narrow crevice leading to a cave. Falling into a cave was astonishing enough, but the next revelation was even more surprising.
In front of Un-hyeon in the cave lay the remains of the fifth-generation clan leader! Why on earth was the fifth-generation master’s body in such a cave?
Both Cheong-un and Un-hyeon, who was reading about the discovery, began to read the letter left behind by the clan leader with astonished hearts.
[Dear Yeon-ja, if you aren’t from Mount Wu, don’t read this letter further. Just tell Mount Wu you found my remains. Mount Wu is not one to forget their benefactor. But if you are indeed from Mount Wu, read this letter to the end.]
What the heck was going on? Un-hyeon, who found himself in a cave, continued reading the letter.
[Dear Yeon-ja, what is the Dao?]
[Why is it that, in pursuit of the Dao, you wield a sword instead of reading books? Why are you not taking Nature as your teacher while learning martial arts?]
[Is this truly the way to reach the Dao?]
[To transcend and become an immortal, why are you carrying such a heavy iron weight?]
[Dear Yeon-ja, I lived under the sky as my blanket and the mountains as my companions, dedicating my life to training.]
[Today, I managed to glimpse the very edge of the Immortal Realm. However, due to my insufficient merits, I could only view the edges and had to return.]
[In the end, I could not transcend and became no immortal.]
[Having fallen back to earth, I have no wings, only a sword that I held my entire life.]
[Dear Yeon-ja, gather merits with your sword. That will become wings for you.]
[Though my life is at an end and I can no longer gather merits, I shall leave behind martial arts for you to become your wings.]
[Please, perform the Dao and gather merits with your sword.]
———————-
“Cheong-un, what are you reading so intently? Let’s hurry up and go!”
A younger disciple complained to Cheong-un, who hadn’t moved from the bookstore for quite a while.
“What is this book…?”
Cheong-un felt a chill and couldn’t look away.
This wasn’t just any ordinary book.
“Owner!!”
Cheong-un called out to the bookstore owner in a flurry.
“What’s going on?”
“Why do you look so scared?”
Seeing Cheong-un’s serious face, the younger disciple and the bookstore owner exchanged worried glances.
“This book. Where on earth did it come from?”
Cheong-un kept pointing at the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes in a panic.
“The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes? What was that again? Oh! That book!”
“That book? What are you talking about?”
“The peddler said it’s a story from a Joseon Taoist from Mount Baekdu who said he had tales for Mount Wu.”
“A Joseon Taoist from Mount Baekdu?”
“Yes, I thought it would be good for someone from Mount Wu to read it, but no one ever touched it. So, I was thinking of just tossing it in the storage.”
“Mount Baekdu? What does a Joseon person have to do with Mount Wu?”
The more he listened, the more puzzled Cheong-un felt.
In truth, what the bookstore owner had said had unfortunately twisted as it traveled from person to person, but Cheong-un had no way of knowing that.
“By the way, is this true? I’ve kept letting you read for free because you come in often. But it seems that you might need to buy it at this point.”
“I’ll buy it unconditionally. How much?”
“About 5 silver coins, please.”
“5 silver? You’re selling this book for 5 silver coins?”
Cheong-un asked incredulously.
“Is it because the quality is poor? Come on, it should at least be worth 5 silver….”
“Quality poor?! How can you say that!!”
Cheong-un shouted indignantly.
“What?”
“Sa-sahyun?!”
His usually calm and collected disciple had suddenly become furious. The younger disciple couldn’t figure out what was happening.
“This… this book cannot be judged by 5 silver! The money I currently have on me…. a measly 50 silver!”
“That, that book is just 5 silver!”
“I’ll give you all of it. Now give me that book!”
“Th-thank you!”
The bookstore owner was taken aback as he received the disciple’s whole purse.
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
Cheong-un snatched up the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes and walked straight out without looking back.
“Sa-hyun! Wait up!”
“What the heck just happened?”
The bookstore owner, hastily stuffing the coins into his pocket, still couldn’t wrap his head around what had just occurred.
He had no idea what kind of storm the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes would unleash upon Mount Wu.
