Book 11 Chapter 8

The Gentleman's Free Sword (君子逍遙劍)

Namgung Sang stared blankly at Yi Song.

Yeom Do and Bing Geom were no different, utterly speechless.

"Hey! Ice Block! Since when did the deputy chief of the Green Forest Bandit’s Hideout become this skilled?"

Bing Geom shook his head. He deflected the incoming sword, moving at an imperceptible speed, with minimal effort. He achieved maximum effect with minimum force. The deflection itself was incredibly clean and fluid.

"When did the Green Forest's hierarchy become so disordered?"

Yeom Do's question was natural. In the Green Forest, the strong always sat at the top. Connections, hometown ties, or blood ties were irrelevant. For those who pursued strength, weakness was a sin in itself.

"Well, this is the first time I've seen a deputy chief in the Green Forest be stronger than the chief."

Amusingly, the strongest expert of Heukrang-chae was not Heukrang-chae Chief Im Gye, but Yi Song, who assisted him and was only known for his educated speech.

"I apologize, but as I am in a position to assist the chief, I had no choice but to block your sword. I hope you understand."

Namgung Sang, who had encountered many bandits despite his young age, perhaps due to fate's machinations or a difficult destiny, had never met a bandit like Yi Song. He had never met such a polite bandit before. This came as a sort of mental shock. As Namgung Sang fell into a momentary state of mental shock, Yi Song continued, asking for understanding of the chief's foolishness.

"I'm sorry, but even if he doesn't mature with age, and acts foolishly by trying to marry a young wife in his old age, always drinks and likes to fight, has a terribly bad temper, and often acts recklessly driven by emotion rather than reason, he is still our Heukrang-chae chief, and I cannot let him die here. Please understand and accept this."

Im Gye's face, which had been growing darker, turned even blacker from Yi Song's composed, flowing barrage of words. Looking around and scrutinizing, there was no trace of authority or respect for the chief. He was so dumbfounded he couldn't even speak properly.

He wanted to drag Yi Song to a secluded place and give him a stern lecture until dawn, but he was indebted to Yi Song for saving his life, so he had no words to offer, no matter how many mouths he had.

"So, why don't we end this quietly here? I believe it would be beneficial for both sides."

Namgung Sang glanced at Yeom Do. As expected, Yeom Do was shaking his head. Given Yeom Do's fiery temper, he wouldn't let this matter go. Perhaps he was secretly pleased to have found a good sparring partner.

"Impossible!"

Namgung Sang refused outright. His usual gentle demeanor had vanished.

"Do you think you can block the path of the Cheonmu Academy's Hwasan Branch delegation and get away with it? Since you've blocked our way, you must pay the corresponding price!"

"Ch-, Cheonmu Academy!"

"H-, Hwasan Branch!"

Only then did they realize they had been playing with fire next to a gunpowder warehouse. They had provoked a group they absolutely should not have.

'I stepped in something!'

Yi Song, with a face like he had eaten something bitter, uttered a vulgar thought internally but soon regretted it, considering it beneath him. He then gripped his sword tightly.

'Do the Cheonmu Academy delegations these days not have enough money to even carry a identification banner?'

If they had just displayed that banner, he wouldn't have touched a finger! It felt like a deliberate trap.

'What should we do?' Yi Song's gaze, filled with a question, was ignored by Yeom Do. Yeom Do was now keenly interested in the swordsman who had suddenly appeared. Bing Geom, who also wielded a sword, was likely even more eager. It only took one move to discern whether someone was a master or a novice. It was possible to distinguish between a master and a novice just by the way they drew their sword. In that context, the man was a master. Moreover, he was a peak swordsman who concealed his considerable skill.

Few could deflect Baekrae Ilsi (White Thunder Shot), the ultimate technique of the Namgung family's Baekrae Swordplay, so lightly. Yi Song's swordplay was based on thorough defense. Despite Namgung Sang's relentless assault, he was only defending and not counterattacking. However, he didn't leave any openings. Even now, his sword was deflecting Namgung Sang's sword with minimal movement. His ability to focus solely on defense continuously and calmly was astonishing.

What was even more surprising was that his sword was not that of a demonic sect but a righteous one. It was unthinkable for such an inefficient sword style to be practiced with such effort in the demonic or Green Forest sects.

'What in the world is this man's true identity?'

He thought he could gauge the internal energy if he observed more of his sword techniques. Yeom Do squinted his eyes, staring intently at Yi Song's sword movements. Bing Geom was doing the same.

"It looks very familiar…"

Watching the continuous sword spar between Namgung Sang and Yi Song, Bing Geom muttered to himself. He shouldn't be unaware of such swordplay. Even if he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he would have at least heard of it. Such a defensive sword style, with its thorough exclusion of offense, was very rare in this harsh martial world. It was refined, to put it kindly, but impractical, and even more so, not useful. Or rather, practical?

Namgung Sang continued his attacks, and Yi Song blocked or deflected them, defending himself. However, what was astonishing was that after more than twenty exchanges, Yi Song had not launched a single attack. He was clearly not overwhelmed, desperately defending. He was parrying Namgung Sang's attacks, which came with the dazzling speed of white lightning, without much difficulty. Since there were no effective attacks, it was a sword style that expected the opponent to tire themselves out.

Such an honest sword… There was no trace of sneakiness, unlike a bandit. A bandit's swordplay being honest and fair? Would anyone believe he was the deputy chief of Heukrang-chae, one of the infamous Green Forest Five, just by looking at his swordplay?

'Yes, like a gentleman…'

'A sword without substance, like a gentleman!'

A flash of lightning pierced Bing Geom's mind.

"The Gentleman's Free Sword, Yi Songhak!"

A name filled with surprise burst from his lips.

"The Ten Swords of Hebei!"

Yeom Do exclaimed the same words. The surrounding murmurs caused the sword spar between Namgung Sang and Yi Song to halt. Namgung Sang, who had just been sparring with him, also looked at Yi Song, or rather, Yi Songhak, with surprise. The Gentleman's Free Sword, Yi Songhak, was a famous figure whose reputation he had heard of.

The Gentleman's Free Sword, Yi Songhak!

He was commonly called the Gentleman's Sword (君子劍), known in the martial world as the wielder of the most honest and benevolent swordplay. Despite the utter lack of practical application, people did not hesitate to rank him among the ten best swordsmen in Hebei. The fact that he had survived this long with such swordplay led to analyses that he was an astonishing sword genius.

With only a few moves that were almost useless for offense, and mostly defensive techniques, it was a crippled sword style (as some harshly criticized), yet he had survived. How great was that!

However, he mysteriously disappeared from Hebei several years ago. After that, there was no news of his whereabouts. On the day of his mysterious disappearance, his room was reportedly neatly organized. Therefore, no one realized he had vanished like smoke until a month passed without any trace of him being found.

"As one of the Ten Swords of Hebei and an elder of the Righteousness Gate (正義門), why are you here?"

The question omitted 'living contentedly as a bandit with these Green Forest dwellers?' Upon hearing Bing Geom's question, Yi Song, the gentleman, or rather, the Gentleman's Free Sword, Yi Songhak, showed a look of frustration.

However, realizing that he could not escape this place safely without explaining the twists and turns of his life, he gave up. Yi Songhak let out a long sigh and began to speak.

"Hoo… Originally, I thought I had a mild temperament and wouldn't feel much even if I lost. I always told myself, 'A gentleman like me doesn't indulge in trivial competitiveness. I can control myself perfectly. Isn't winning or losing not always important!' But only after losing to someone did I realize how weak I was, how obsessed I was with winning."

His face was filled with deep regret.

"Who was that person?"

Bing Geom had never even heard a rumor of the Gentleman's Free Sword, Yi Songhak, being thoroughly defeated by someone.

"Shamefully, it was a young boy."

"A boy?"

Both Yeom Do and Bing Geom felt a sudden pang in their hearts. 'No way… it can't be… it must not be…' They calmed themselves and decided to listen further.

"It was a crushing defeat where I couldn't even land a single blow. Only then did I realize what a frog in a well I had been. He was a boy who looked less than twenty years old. Despite being young, he had a very cold demeanor. To be defeated by someone younger than my own child without being able to land a single blow made me question if I even deserved to live in this world."

*Thump, thump!*

Every time Yi Songhak opened his mouth, Yeom Do and Bing Geom felt like daggers piercing their hearts. They could easily empathize with his detailed account. For some reason, it didn't feel like someone else's story.

"I even wondered if I had lived my life in vain."

Mm, mm. Yeom Do and Bing Geom both nodded simultaneously.

"I even thought of biting my tongue and dying. I felt humiliated. It felt like I was being mocked… Perhaps it was because I instinctively felt that the boy hadn't even used his full strength to subdue me. To be defeated by a mere boy without him using his full strength was truly shameful."

If they listened any longer, tears would likely stream from their eyes. Yeom Do had never heard such a detailed and heartbreaking story before. If only the onlookers weren't there, he might have impulsively rushed over and hugged him.

'I understand! I understand it all! That heart-wrenching feeling! I know it well! My friend!'

However, he exercised extreme self-control and patience, enduring it.

"Th-, then what happened? Did that boy ridiculously force you to become his disciple?"

Yeom Do asked urgently.

"Yes? What do you mean?"

Looking at his face, it seemed that wasn't the case. Yeom Do let out a sigh of relief internally, knowing he didn't have to gain another sworn brother.

"Ah… no! Please continue!"

Yeom Do hastily changed the subject. Yi Songhak's past continued.

"That boy told me that I was too bound by conventions and stuck in rigidity, preventing any progress. He said it would be difficult to get stronger without breaking free from that mold. After that, I don't remember the next few days clearly. I must have left home without a destination and wandered aimlessly. Then, when I came to my senses, I found myself within this group. But who are you two?"

Listening to Yi Songhak's story, the two men took off their straw hats. They had been wearing them because their appearances were too conspicuous. Only then did Yi Songhak notice that the two men speaking to him looked very familiar.

"I am Bing Geom, Gwan Cheolsu, the head attendant of Cheonmu Academy."

Bing Geom finally introduced himself.

"I'm Yeom Do!"

Yeom Do introduced himself curtly.

"Gasp! Then, you are the famous…"

He wasn't the only one who turned pale. Most of the bandits' faces turned ashen after hearing their introductions. Some bandits coughed incessantly as if they had a severe choking fit. One bandit clutched his chest, looking pained as if he had a heart condition.

Only then did they realize how reckless and foolish their attempt had been. All the blame arrows were directed at Chief Im Gye. Im Gye, whose face was as black as the others, had no words to offer.

"I heard that ice and fire never mix and never travel together…"

Because of this, Yi Songhak had momentarily not thought of these two as the famous individuals they were. Bing Geom muttered in a bitter tone.

"In life, there are sometimes unavoidable circumstances and exceptions."

However, this time, the exception almost caused many deaths. It had been a moment of crisis.

"Hoo~."

Im Seongjin let out a sigh of relief. It seemed his turn would not come.