The Heaven-Slaying Sword - Chapter 67

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈

Chapter 67: Chapter Eight - Friendly Martial Arts Match (2)

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“Greetings, Great Hero Golden Sword!”

Mok Ri-won beamed and gave a cupped-fist salute. He was delighted to meet one of the people he had most wanted to speak with since arriving at the Martial Alliance.

His gaze soon fell on Kwon Pyo-wol’s waist. The gilded scabbard stirred Mok Ri-won’s romantic imagination.

“Since arriving at the Martial Alliance, I have heard so much about Great Hero Golden Sword’s many chivalrous deeds! It is such an honor to meet you at last! If you have the time, perhaps we could speak for a moment...”

“Ah, I am sorry. I have somewhere urgent to be.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Mok Ri-won realize his mistake. He spoke with an awkward look on his face.

“...Of course. Come to think of it, it is still working hours. My apologies. I was so happy to meet you that I overstepped.”

“It is hardly overstepping. I should be grateful that the Ink Dragon thinks so highly of me.”

Mok Ri-won’s eyes sparkled at his courteous response.

Kwon Pyo-wol truly seemed to be the sort of man people said he was. A man who knew propriety, carried himself with gravity, and never said anything discourteous to another.

Mok Ri-won looked at Kwon Pyo-wol with open admiration.

“Ah! Still, the martial arts match is only a few days away! I am greatly looking forward to crossing swords with Great Hero Golden Sword then!”

“The martial arts match? I am afraid you will be disappointed.”

Mok Ri-won and Dang Hwa-seo both stiffened.

With an awkward smile, Kwon Pyo-wol continued.

“I will not be taking part. I would like to give the unit members more opportunities.”

Dang Hwa-seo was the one who questioned him.

“I understood that Unit Leaders and Division Leaders were required to participate in friendly martial arts matches...”

“That is customary, but not compulsory.”

Deep disappointment crossed Mok Ri-won’s face.

“Is that so? What a shame.”

“I do have expectations. Our unit members are not inferior to you in skill. I am sure it will make for good matches.”

With that, Kwon Pyo-wol gave a cupped-fist salute.

“Then I will be on my way.”

There was not a trace of reluctance in him.

* * *

Near sunset, Mok Ri-won had sought out Yeom So-so, who had been leisurely drinking tea, and was chatting with her.

“Golden Sword?”

Mok Ri-won nodded.

“He says he will not take part in the martial arts match because he wants to give his unit members opportunities. It is such a shame...”

His spirits were plainly lower than they had been that morning.

After thinking for a moment, Yeom So-so suddenly said, “Ah.”

“Right, Kwon Pyo-wol. That bastard was Golden Sword. I had forgotten.”

“Hmm? Do you know him?”

“Not personally. I have only heard things about him.”

Curiosity appeared on Mok Ri-won’s face.

Yeom So-so chuckled.

“It is probably a lie, the part about giving his unit members opportunities.”

“W-What do you mean?!”

Mok Ri-won sprang to his feet in surprise. Yeom So-so explained.

“That gold painted on his scabbard. Do you know what it means?”

“To know the weight of wielding one’s sword! That is what I have heard!”

“And that is the problem.”

Mok Ri-won tilted his head.

To him, it was a romantic and admirable resolve, so he could not understand why Yeom So-so saw it as a problem.

“Is it not admirable? I think it is exactly how a chivalrous hero ought to conduct himself!”

“In meaning alone, yes. It is a teaching everyone in the Martial World ought to follow.”

Yeom So-so took a sip of tea, then spoke in a gentler tone.

“Child.”

“Yes!”

“Do you know what those of the Martial World must be most wary of?”

Her expression was that of someone recalling a distant past.

“Being swallowed by the Jianghu. Letting reality taint the ideals in your heart.”

“...I am not sure I understand.”

“Take this as an example. You said you wished to become a chivalrous hero, did you not?”

“Yes...”

“Then answer me. Were the Chivalry and Jianghu you imagined the same as what you actually encountered?”

Mok Ri-won could only hesitate. The question struck home.

The Jianghu he had seen in Tales of Martial Heroes had always held romance, dreams, and ideals. There had been something within it that stirred a man’s heart to its depths.

Reality was not like that. The Jianghu was crueler than Mok Ri-won had thought.

Though Dang Hwa-seo was the victim, she had to live as a fugitive.

Because the jiangshi of the Valley of Meager Blood lacked strength, they could not even be laid to rest.

And what of the widow he had met in Anhui, or Gwak Chil-pyo, the author of Tales of Martial Heroes?

“...They do not seem entirely the same.”

A bitter smile lingered on Mok Ri-won’s lips.

Yeom So-so nodded.

“Yes, that is the Jianghu of reality. Though people cry out that they will set Chivalry right through martial prowess, this Jianghu always returns to the principle that the strong are honored. So in the end, one cannot help being swallowed by it.”

“Are you saying...”

“That is how I see it. Golden Sword has been worn down far too much by the ways of the world.”

It was not an idle remark.

Over her long life in the Martial World, Yeom So-so had seen countless people like Kwon Pyo-wol.

“No matter how stubborn they may be, they eventually face reality. Then, bit by bit, they adapt. Before they know it, even the ideals they hold in their hearts have been bent to fit reality.”

Know the weight of wielding your sword. Kwon Pyo-wol would still abide by that teaching.

But Yeom So-so was certain it no longer held the meaning of a chivalrous hero for him.

“That bastard is the sort of man who puts a price on his sword. Not a price measured by Chivalric righteousness, but by wealth.”

“Wealth...”

“He has begun to calculate his own worth, as a Unit Leader of the Martial Alliance and as a swordsman.”

Mok Ri-won did not like what Yeom So-so said.

Yeom So-so could tell as well.

Mok Ri-won’s expression had become thoroughly sullen.

So Yeom So-so explained further.

“A Unit Leader in the Martial Alliance is middle management. That is why Unit Leaders seek higher positions where they can become part of the Alliance’s core. Only then can they carry out their aspirations. To rise higher, one needs accomplishments and a reputation. That is why he would be wary of you.”

“Of me?”

“If he wins a match against you, he gains nothing. If he loses, he will only suffer the humiliation of having been defeated by a junior.”

“...”

“He weighed the value of a match with you, that is what I mean. In the end, he likely judged that not participating would help his performance evaluation.”

Mok Ri-won’s fist clenched tight. It was not that he failed to understand Yeom So-so’s words.

Practical value.

It was a concept Mok Seon-o and Ma Il-seok had already taught him.

“Won-ah, one day you too will stand at a crossroads.”

“A crossroads?”

“Will you be an immature fool who pursues romance, or build a reputation through practical Chivalry?”

“What is the difference?”

“If you pursue romance, you can save the person before your eyes. If you pursue practical Chivalry, you can achieve a great cause.”

“...I do not know. Which Chivalry is right?”

“Neither is wrong. They are simply different.”

Simply different.

Mok Ri-won understood.

Kwon Pyo-wol likely wanted to rise to a higher position and spread the Chivalry he believed in across the world. He must have judged that a match with Mok Ri-won would hurt that goal.

“...But still.”

He understood, but he could not accept it.

His head agreed, but his heart did not.

Mok Ri-won still felt stifled.

“That kind of Chivalry is too different from the one I know. To avoid challenges and chase achievement and profit does not look like Chivalry to me. Am I being too narrow-minded?”

Yeom So-so studied Mok Ri-won’s expression.

His tightly set lips, furrowed brow, and eyes that remained bright despite it all.

It was the face of a stubborn fool.

The face of an idiot who knew no compromise.

And Yeom So-so knew such an idiot.

“There is no narrow-minded Chivalry. There is only the sword.”

A deep smile spread over Yeom So-so’s lips.

Then she recited the one rule that moved this Jianghu.

“Child, only the victor has the right to cry out for Chivalry in this Jianghu. So is there not only one way?”

Yeom So-so’s fingertip pointed toward Mok Ri-won’s waist. An old iron sword hung there.

“If you dislike his great cause and calculations, speak with that sword. Prove that your Chivalry is right.”

The strong are honored.

No matter how it was dressed in flowery words, it was the one unchanging truth of this Jianghu.

Mok Ri-won’s fist clenched still tighter.

“...I...”

Mok Ri-won looked down at his sword. Unlike Kwon Pyo-wol’s, it was simply an old sword marked by the passage of time.

“I... do not understand complicated calculations. I cannot hold such things in my heart. Since the day I first learned the sword from my master, I have known only one thing.”

“What is it?”

“That chivalrous heroes are those who pursue romance.”

Mok Ri-won placed a hand on his scabbard.

As he did, he recalled something from long ago.

“Master, what did you choose? Between romance and reality?”

“You ask something obvious.”

“Hmm?”

“This master of yours is someone who cannot live without romance. So I chose to become a fool who can see no farther than an inch ahead.”

He remembered the gift his master had given him.

Mok Ri-won lifted his head. Strength entered his voice.

“I would rather become an idiot. And I would become greedy. I do not want to turn away from what is before my eyes in the name of some greater cause.”

“Can you do it? Golden Sword is a Unit Leader of the Martial Alliance. That means he is a powerful martial artist who has reached the transcendent peak realm. Even if you manage to draw Golden Sword into the martial arts match, are you certain you can win against him afterward?”

“I will not think about it. I will simply swing my sword.”

“Hmm?”

“My master told me.”

At last, a smile touched Mok Ri-won’s lips. Only after reaching his decision did he feel as if the knot inside him had loosened.

“A chivalrous hero is one who always walks the hardest path.”

Yeom So-so’s eyes widened slightly.

In that instant, a very ugly face that did not suit Mok Ri-won’s handsome one overlapped in her mind.

“It is all right if it is difficult. Chivalry only shows its face to those who rise after overcoming adversity.”

A quiet chuckle escaped Yeom So-so.

“...You are exactly like him.”

Once again, Yeom So-so could only think that Mok Seon-o had made someone just like himself.

* * *

It was late in the evening.

After finishing the day’s work, Kwon Pyo-wol was on the way to his quarters.

Even as he walked, he was mentally organizing the next day’s work.

The end of the quarter was near, and with it came performance reviews.

His accomplishments this quarter were sufficient, but he did not believe the other Unit Leaders would have done any worse.

In other words, he needed more accomplishments and more flawless management.

‘The martial arts match is tomorrow.’

The moment he thought of it, a face came to mind.

A handsome young man who had shown deep disappointment with an innocent expression.

Mok Ri-won.

Recalling that face made Kwon Pyo-wol feel unsettled.

Even he did not know why.

No, perhaps he did not wish to know.

Kwon Pyo-wol let out a small laugh.

‘...Must be nice.’

Time was cruel.

There had once been a time when Kwon Pyo-wol too had simply looked forward to matches with powerful martial artists and dreamed of the future spreading out before him. It saddened him to know that time would never return.

He had not lost his Chivalry. The passion still burning in his heart was the same as it had been then, and the ideals he hoped to achieve had never left a corner of his heart.

Yet there were now things he had to calculate.

He knew that some realities could not be resolved by passion alone.

He wanted to speak of the weight of wielding a sword.

He wanted to show the world what a more righteous sword was.

To do so, he needed a reputation. And to build that reputation, there was passion he had to set aside.

A match with Mok Ri-won would surely be a good experience, but it was not rational.

Kwon Pyo-wol was walking as he reassured himself when someone stepped into his path.

“Great Hero Golden Sword.”

It was a familiar face.

After all, it was the man who had been on his mind moments ago.

“...Ink Dragon?”

“May I speak with you for a moment?”