Chapter 3 Returning (3)

Chapter 3 Returning (3)

* * *

Half a year later, a mountain adjacent to Huashan.

“……Hmph.”

Exhaling once, Gu Yangjie channeled fifty percent of his power into his fist.

Before him stood a colossal tree, one too imposing to even look up at.

The reason it bore gouges was because Gu Yangjie had tested himself against it countless times.

Yet the tree remained unshaken, standing firm.

And no wonder—the tree was so enormous that even a grown man could barely wrap his arms around a third of its girth.

“Hmph.”

In a moment that felt like the entire world was being sucked into a single point, his fist shot out.

POW-!

The fist, pushing back the wind as it struck, pierced the wood’s core and penetrated its interior.

“Hoo.”

Soon, the sigh exhaled by Gu Yangji brought his heightened spirit back down to earth.

“Was it too much after all?”

It had been a truly perfect second, just as Gu Yangji let out a regretful laugh.

Crack, crackle, crackle…!

Gradually, the giant tree began to tilt.

Boom!

A cloud of dust over eight feet high billowed upward. The nearby trees being reduced to rubble was only natural.

The rumbling that followed was enough to make one’s entire body shudder.

Had anyone else channeled their energy like that, it would surely have backfired, causing internal injuries.

But Gu Yangji was different.

‘I like it.’

Gu Yangji gazed at the dust cloud filling the forest with a satisfied expression.

The single move he had just unleashed had reached a realm he could only have hoped to attain at least six years from now.

The loudmouths and enthusiasts called his current realm by these names.

Intentionally Injuring Others.

Or First-Rate Martial Artist.

Neither description pleased him.

‘What do these fools know, having only ever practiced the Three Calamities Sword Technique?’

For the past half-year, Gu Yangjie had undergone bone-crushing training. Occasionally, he copied training methods from other sects.

Methods like the Shaolin’s scooping water from a well with a pointed gourd, or the Hebei Pang family’s ten thousand swings a day.

Though the stimulated body parts differed, they shared a common purpose.

‘To lay the foundation, especially the groundwork for mastering martial arts.’

The same applied to mental state.

Anyone could scoop water with a pointed gourd. But to prevent even a single drop from spilling, posture must never falter, and rest was forbidden.

The Hebei Pang Clan’s ten thousand swings?

If you swung it half-heartedly, you could finish it in less than two hours.

But the reason the Hebei Pang Clan imposed such training was different.

It was meant to make you feel your own limits in a state of self-forgetfulness where nothing but the sword remained visible, and to feel the seriousness and intensity required for martial arts.

It was said that Pang Wuzong, the legendary ‘Sword Heaven Overlord’ considered the strongest in the history of the Hebei Pang Clan, took a week.

Though it might seem foolish at first glance, the true meaning behind it was profound beyond measure.

In that regard, Gu Yangji repeated the training countless times.

He shattered two walls from his third-rate level.

He cut six years down to half a year.

“If you wanted to, you could have done it, Gu Yangjie.”

Gu Yangjie, who had reproached his past self, now trembled at his present self.

The path ahead seemed to have turned into a bright light.

He felt proud and joyful.

He also knew the locations of the True Spirit he would reclaim and various elixirs.

What a rewarding life this was!

Gu Yangji calmed his trembling heart.

‘Right, time to move to the hermitage.’

The six months originally set for wall-facing meditation ended today, so it was about time the monk sent by the sect arrived.

If he were to witness this scene, one could only hope he wouldn’t be too loose-lipped.

Gu Yangji’s gaze fell upon the billowing dust cloud rising into the sky.

Though his satisfied smile hadn’t yet faded, the thought of having to worry about such trivial matters felt petty.

“…It doesn’t suit me.”

Had they been startled by the recent roar?

The mountain birds were leaving the trees they had been perched upon.

Gu Yangjeok watched the sky, now half-darkened, and suddenly noticed a specific spot.

It was where more flocks of birds had departed from the branches than elsewhere.

“Over there.”

As if observing from the mountain peak, Gu Yangjeok moved toward his target without delay.

His eyes, fixed ahead, showed not a trace of unease, and his ears were sharp enough to catch even the slightest sound.

This was the minimum requirement to master the secret martial arts he possessed.

Not long after leaving the hermitage, a certain sound pierced Gu Yangjeok’s ears.

Sap, sap.

It was the sound of a heavy object crushing dry leaves.

Gu Yangji found his certainty there.

‘What mountain beast moves with such measured strides?’

And it was the Plum Mountain Step (梅山步), taught as a fundamental technique in the Huashan School.

Whoever it was, they were undoubtedly a disciple who hadn’t mastered the Ascending Martial Arts.

Gu Yangji’s footsteps quickened, his strides lengthening.

* * *

Where Gu Yangji hurried to, a child clad in a shabby Taoist robe stood.

The face was familiar, if only vaguely.

Only… something was off.

“What are you doing?”

“Senior Brother Gu? It is you, Senior Brother Gu, right?”

“Huh? That’s me, but I asked what you’re doing.”

What was he doing? Holding a sparrow in both hands?

A small pool of blood had gathered in the hollow of his palm, dripping down. It seemed the sparrow had pecked at it with its beak.

Even so, the child looked at the sparrow with a worried expression.

“This is…”

Gu Yang Jie swallowed hard as he looked at the sparrow. Having eaten only wall-crawling insects for so long, he now craved meat.

‘A sparrow, huh? Frying it up would be nice.’

The sparrow, now splattered with blood, reminded him of prepared meat.

“You’re going to eat it?”

At those words, the child turned pale with shock and hid the sparrow behind their back.

“Yes, yes?!”

“You’ll get sick if you eat it raw. So you need to use fire to…”

“I’m not going to eat it!”

The child answered defiantly.

“I was taking care of a child who fell from a tree, startled by the loud noise.”

“But that’s not a child, it’s a sparrow?”

“……It’s a child.”

Gu Yangjeok chuckled softly at the child’s pouting expression.

Here stood an unusual fellow, a disciple of the Grand Master, yet one with little ambition for martial arts.

“You’re the child, Hoon.”

“……Ugh.”

As if unable to counter that argument, Jo Hun turned his head and looked at the sparrow with a worried gaze.

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could I put this little one back up in its nest?”

“Are you that worried about it?”

Jo Hun stammered in response.

“…Yes.”

“Give it to me for a moment.”

Snatching the sparrow from Jo Hoon’s grasp, Gu Yangjeok instantly scrambled up the tree.

His lightness technique seemed to leave a shadow as he moved, making Jo Hoon’s voice echo like a bird’s cry.

“Wow!”

He’d seen countless lightness techniques before, but this was the first time he’d been truly astonished.

‘None of the other senior brothers could do that!’

The sight of him climbing the tree as if it were flat ground was utterly astonishing.

“Senior Brother Gu Yang, you’re truly amazing!”

Perched atop the tree, Gu Yangjeok shrugged his shoulders and asked.

“Hoon, I let the sparrow go. But should I take the eggs instead?”

“No!”

“……Just kidding. Heh.”

Thump.

Gu Yang Jie descended from the tree with light steps and ruffled the hair of Cho Hoon, whose eyes were wide with wonder.

It was natural for a disciple to respect his senior, but this was a bit much.

“Kid, you’re going to wear out my backside.”

“Why?”

Seeing Cho Hoon staring at him with those wide, bright eyes, Gu Yang Jie realized his mistake.

“Oh dear…”

He’d momentarily forgotten that with Cho Hoon, still so innocent, even jokes couldn’t be made carelessly.

How could he possibly explain the meaning behind the words he’d just spoken?

In the end, Gu Yangjeok changed the subject, saying it was nothing.

Then he suddenly looked down at Cho Hoon.

His thin frame and the shabby robe caught his eye.

A flicker of pity crossed Gu Yangji’s eyes.

‘Was young Jo Hoon ever this small?’

Still unable to fully grasp the reality, Gu Yangji stared intently at Jo Hoon once more.

‘Jo Hoon, the Far-Sight Sword.’

Though he had entered the sect much later than Gu Yangjeok, they had crossed paths often as master and disciple.

‘Once a week, I’d get dragged by the sect leader to meditate with this brat… Damn it!’

Recalling those times, Gu Yang-jeok furrowed his brow deeply at the end of his thoughts.

Unlike Gu Yang-jeok, who favored refining external sword techniques, Jo Hun tempered the sword of his mind through meditation.

Though younger and with lower internal energy cultivation, the martial arts he possessed were truly troublesome.

The Way of Scripture and Zen.

Every martial art has its path.

Even so-called ascending martial arts inevitably involved striking through the wind to harm an enemy.

But the Way of Scripture and Zen could see that path.

The inner vision gained after years of seated meditation possessed extraordinary power to pierce through an enemy.

The eighteen directions where blades whirled—all lay within the domain of Jingxian Dao.

‘If only he hadn’t fallen first.’

He wouldn’t have fallen, but he wouldn’t have saved the strength to fight Yu Zhangming either.

Back at Huashan, he’d been unnecessarily hateful; as an enemy, he was more troublesome than anyone.

But seeing him now… it was truly… pitiful.

‘Was he ever this gaunt?’

Gu Yangjeok lifted Jo Hun once.

Startled, Jo Hun cried out.

“Brother… Brother?!”

‘Light.’

Despite Jo Hun’s cry, Gu Yangjeok wore only an indifferent expression.

It was natural for a child to be light, but being this light was no easy feat.

This also applied to martial prowess.

Gu Yangjie had seen it many times: stunted growth ultimately dragging a martial artist into a deadly situation.

A difference of half a finger joint.

In the martial world, that alone could be the line between life and death.

‘Even Jo Hun, who mastered the Jingxian Sword Technique to its limits, ultimately died from lack of stamina.’

His face, turning deathly pale as he vomited bile, was still vivid in his memory.

All this happened because the Huashan Sect was poor.

Gu Yangji’s gaze swept over Zhao Hun’s body.

‘If he could gain weight and build his physique from now on, things would be different.’

He could have become a master who roamed the world, never suffering a humiliating defeat before others.

In Gu Yangjeok’s estimation, the Jingxian Sword Technique was a martial art worthy of such power.

To exaggerate slightly, it wasn’t significantly inferior even when compared to his own master or himself.

Precisely because he was such a child, Gu Yangjeok wanted to help him fully unleash his potential this time.

“Hoon, don’t you want to try eating something else?”

“What?”

Seeing Jo Hoon’s puzzled expression, Gu Yangjeok listed foods good for building muscle and gaining weight.

“Braised pork, five-spice braised pork, sweet cakes, roasted duck, stir-fried greens, and so on.”

Jo Hoon swallowed hard but hesitated.

“But… that’s not good. I heard from my seniors and master that it’s bad.”

Gu Yangjie’s eyebrows twitched at the utterly innocent remark.

It felt like a bad older brother lurking in a dark alley, making Jo Hoon’s shoulders shrink.

“Didn’t you ever get curious seeing lay disciples or outsiders eat those things?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

Seeing him somewhat concede, Gu Yangjie grinned.

“Hoon, you must have heard the term ‘drifting through the world’.”

“When one reaches the age of majority, they go out into the martial world for two or three years?”

Gu Yangjeok gave a light nod.

What followed was somewhat shocking.

“But have you ever heard of them returning without having killed?”

To Jo Hoon, it sounded like a rather unpleasant statement.

But it was reality, and also a process a cultivator must undergo.

‘You have to at least touch the edge of how the martial world operates to avoid being left behind.’

Gu Yangjeok interpreted the meaning of ‘drifting through the world’ differently.

“The same applies to eating habits. Following the teachings of Daoism is important, but isn’t experiencing things from the outside world also a good thing?”

“Is… is that so?”

“You’ll shoot up in height, and above all… it tastes good.”

As Jo Hoon looked up with hopeful eyes, Gu Yangjeok resolved once more to nurture this child well.

“From now on, I’ll make sure you get to eat delicious things.”

Smiling at Jo Hoon, a sudden thought struck him.

Was Huashan just some backwater martial sect?

Even though shamans held sway now, Huashan ranked among the top three Daoist sects.

The disciples it had produced, the children sent by influential families.

This was another source of Huashan Sect’s power.

Moreover, the treasures they sent were undoubtedly substantial.

‘Where on earth are those treasures leaking out to?’

In his past life, he’d never seriously considered this, but now he needed a different approach.

The reason Zhao Hun hadn’t been well-fed in the past.

The assumption that treasures or money meant for Huashan were leaking elsewhere.

To confirm this firmly, he needed the sect leader’s permission.

He was also curious about the sect leader’s true intentions.

“Hun, I’ll go ahead first.”

“Yes… Yes?!”

Jo Hoon shouted belatedly, but Gu Yangjeok’s figure had vanished without a trace.