No Tears, No Blood (2)
Song Hwarin stood before the mirror.
The swelling had gone down considerably since the first day, but her face was still puffy.
It was a strange feeling. How could the same person look so different just because of a swollen face?
From behind her, Suran spoke up.
“Are you smiling right now?”
“Huh?”
She hadn’t realized she was smiling.
“I’m not a child. I can’t just cry because I got beaten up, can I?”
“I can’t forgive Byeok Gongja.”
“Is that so?”
“Miss! Don’t talk about it like it’s someone else’s problem. This is a serious matter.”
“I don’t intend to hold a grudge against him for this.”
Since that day, Song Hwarin had replayed the fight in her mind countless times.
“I’ve learned martial arts since I was young and have had many sparring matches, but I’ve never experienced one like that. That match was… how should I put it…”
It felt like a real fight. No, it felt more real than an actual fight.
“He’s stronger than me. Much stronger.”
“It was just luck.”
Suran’s words were out of frustration, but she knew from watching the match that Byeok Lidan’s martial arts were superior. Stronger than Song Hwarin’s, stronger than her own.
“Do you know what I thought while lying on the ground that day?”
“What did you think?”
“I felt relieved.”
“What? Relieved? Why?”
Suran was shocked, but Song Hwarin remained calm.
“It felt like something that had been stuck in my chest was finally released. Do you know that feeling? When you have something you need to do, but you just can’t seem to get around to it. It’s bothersome, and you keep putting it off, and time just slips away. But that day, I felt the relief of finally tackling something I’d been postponing. Like taking a bath after a year.”
“My goodness! And that was from getting beaten up? I can’t understand it.”
Song Hwarin gave a faint smile.
‘Yes, I don’t understand it myself…’
At first, she thought the relief came from identifying a flaw in her technique. But as time passed, she realized it wasn’t just that.
She recalled what Byeok Lidan had said.
“Sometimes, you have to fully accept something to move past it.”
At the time, she had replied that she couldn’t do that. She thought she could never change.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
A swollen face.
Perhaps she was sensing a change in herself through that reflection. Normally, she would have been as angry as Suran, but now she felt a quiet joy in her lack of anger. Wasn’t ‘change’ what she had wanted most?
Song Hwarin slowly walked towards the window, staggering slightly. When Suran rushed to support her, Song Hwarin declined the help.
She reached the window on her own and flung it open.
The scorching summer had burned away, and a gentle autumn breeze was blowing in.
“The wind feels nice.”
Gwangdu had returned, as expected.
He wore an unusually serious and grave expression. I could sense that it was fueled by anger.
“Just as you suspected, Ma Jeongsu has purchased land on the outskirts of Jinan to build a martial arts hall. The contract is already finalized, and construction is set to begin soon.”
Gwangdu had gathered all the details, from the exact location and size to the personnel involved in the construction.
What infuriated Gwangdu was this:
“But Ma Jeongsu bought the land for a ridiculously low price.”
“How low?”
“Unbelievably cheap.”
“The owner wouldn’t have wanted to sell.”
“Exactly. The original owner didn’t want to sell. But then…”
Gwangdu spoke with a face full of anger.
“Shortly after refusing the contract, the owner’s youngest daughter died in an accident.”
“An accident?”
“A fire broke out at their home…”
Gwangdu paused, overwhelmed by emotion. I waited patiently for him to continue.
“That’s not all. The following month, the eldest son was severely injured in a fall from a horse, and the owner’s elderly mother died suddenly from food poisoning. The official who opposed the sale was nearly killed by a drunkard’s knife. The Martial Arts Alliance was informed, but they couldn’t find any connections between the incidents. Eventually, the owner sold the land and left Jinan with his family.”
Gwangdu clenched his fists, trembling with rage.
“Is this acceptable?”
Gwangdu was convinced these were orchestrated accidents.
He was right. Such coincidences don’t just happen.
My heart was already cold, but I didn’t show my anger.
“Did Ma Jeongsu handle the contract himself?”
“No. It was led by Hwasun Nodae.”
That despicable old man!
I could guess what had happened. He was an outsider. To gain Ma Jeongsu’s favor, he needed to make a significant contribution.
Hwasun Nodae had committed an unforgivable act to maintain his wealth and power.
“I was furious, but at the same time, I felt a sense of fear. How can someone do such things?”
“Because they’re not human. How can someone who does such things be considered human?”
“Young Master! Please punish them. Truly punish them. I’m asking because I’m not strong enough yet.”
Gwangdu’s eyes were filled with sincerity. Despite everything that had happened since I met him, this was the first time he was truly angry. More so than when he was personally insulted.
“I will.”
My short response was more reassuring than a hundred words.
Gwangdu understood the resolve in my answer.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
He was growing, becoming a true martial artist.
Yes, he should be angry. We hone our martial arts to punish such evil deeds.
“I realized this time how powerless I am. I hate this helplessness, not being able to do anything.”
“I’ll help ease that helplessness.”
“What?”
I retrieved a box from a pouch beside me.
“Open it.”
“What’s this?”
Gwangdu opened the box. Inside were three roots of Vitality Baeksiho.
“What are these roots?”
“They’re called elixirs in the martial world.”
“What!”
Gwangdu was taken aback. His hands trembled as he held the box.
“These are elixirs?”
“They’re not the best, but they’re considered low-grade elixirs.”
“But they’re expensive, right?”
“Very.”
“How much?”
I told Gwangdu the honest price. When he heard each root was worth nine thousand nyang, he gasped.
“Wow! That’s incredible! Where can I find these? I’ll climb the mountains right away. Riding a horse was a mistake!”
I chuckled. I remembered how adeptly he had ridden back.
“If anyone could find them just by climbing a mountain, they wouldn’t be so expensive, would they?”
“True. But why are you showing me this?”
He must have been skeptical about my offer to ease his helplessness.
“Yes, I brought them for you. Eat them.”
“Really?”
“Do you think I showed them to brag?”
Gwangdu jumped up.
“No! Absolutely not! You should take them, Young Master! Absolutely not!”
Gwangdu stiffened again. He had reacted the same way when I suggested sharing a room at the inn.
Well, eating and sleeping are fundamental issues for people.
“I’m fine. If something worth twenty-seven thousand nyang goes into my cheap mouth, my tongue will melt.”
“I’ve already taken some. I bought these for you.”
“Then have more.”
“I can’t take more.”
“What?”
“It’s like food. No matter how good it is, eating too much can make you sick. Elixirs are the same.”
It wasn’t exactly the same, but it conveyed a similar idea.
“Then give them to the Master and Mistress.”
“I’ll take care of my father and mother separately. So don’t worry and eat.”
“But these are so expensive. I don’t know where you got them, but sell them.”
“They can’t be sold. So just eat them.”
“Young Master.”
Gwangdu sighed, hesitating and hesitating again. He asked several times if it was really okay.
He would know from practicing his breathing exercises how precious these elixirs were and how beneficial they would be. Even knowing that, he was reluctant. He really wanted them, yet he hesitated.
That’s why I didn’t mind giving them to him.
Gwangdu looked at me directly. He asked with his eyes if it was really okay, and I nodded.
“Alright, then I’ll take them. I’ll be even more loyal.”
“Yes, be loyal to the death.”
Gwangdu sat cross-legged with the box in his lap.
“How do I take them?”
“Just chew them thoroughly. Once you feel the heat inside, use your breathing exercises to absorb the energy into your meridians.”
“Can I do it?”
“I’ll help you, so don’t worry.”
“In that case… alright. Should I eat them all at once? Or one at a time and then practice?”
“Eat them all at once.”
“Okay.”
If I weren’t there, it would be safer to take them one at a time. Sometimes, absorbing an elixir could fail.
But since I was there to assist, it didn’t matter if he took them all at once.
Gwangdu chewed and swallowed diligently.
Once all three roots were down, I spoke.
“Now, start your breathing exercises.”
He began his breathing exercises.
I infused a small amount of my energy into him to guide the absorption.
“Slowly, calmly.”
As he started, he began to absorb the energy of the Vitality Baeksiho. The energy I infused helped guide his own energy in the absorption process.
Gwangdu had diligently practiced his martial arts and was clever, so he followed my guidance well.
Sssssss.
He absorbed as much of the elixir’s energy into his meridians as possible.
“Now, calmly circulate your energy through your body.”
Gwangdu followed my instructions with composure.
Eventually, Gwangdu, who had absorbed the energy of the Three Heavens, opened his eyes.
“Is it done?”
I nodded. His expression shifted from surprise at the simplicity of it all to one of concern.
“Did it work?”
I sighed, feigning disappointment.
Gwangdu, however, let out a sigh of relief.
“It worked, didn’t it?”
“What makes you think that?”
“If it hadn’t, you wouldn’t look so serious. You’d be trying to reassure me with a smile.”
This kid knows me too well.
I chuckled. “You’re right. It worked. Go ahead and check your dantian.”
Gwangdu closed his eyes, focusing on his dantian. Moments later, his eyes flew open, and he exclaimed, “There’s an incredible amount of energy!”
“Haha, not quite incredible. How much do you think there is?”
“I have no idea how to measure it.”
“Fair enough.”
I placed my hand on Gwangdu’s dantian. The energy he had absorbed was equivalent to eight years of cultivation. He had absorbed three years from one source, another three from a second, and two from a third. If he had done it alone, he might have gained five years’ worth. With my help, he gained the equivalent of three extra years.
“You’ve gained the internal energy it would take eight years to cultivate.”
“My goodness! Eight years? Really? You’re not going to say it’s actually eight days, are you? Hahaha.”
Gwangdu was overjoyed, practically bouncing with excitement.
I understood that feeling well. The joy of advancing in martial arts, of reaching a new level, is indescribable.
“Thank you, young master. Truly, thank you.”
“Now you must be careful. Even though it’s eight years’ worth, when your techniques are infused with this energy, they’ll be far more powerful than before. What used to injure could now kill.”
“I’ll be cautious, very cautious.”
I had previously explained Gwangdu’s martial prowess as having been taught by a master we encountered while training in the mountains.
With the precision of the Southern Sea’s Seven Techniques, he had already taken down four beasts without any internal energy. Now, with eight years’ worth backing him, there would be few who could stand against him, even among the elite.
Gwangdu asked, his voice trembling slightly, “It might be a silly question, but does more internal energy mean more strength?”
“That’s one way to look at it. But doubling your energy doesn’t mean doubling your strength.”
“Then what?”
“Internal energy certainly enhances the power of your techniques. But it only affects them up to the maximum energy they require. Beyond that, factors like your understanding of the technique, physical condition, mental state, and insights into martial arts play a role. The most significant impact of internal energy is on endurance.”
“Endurance? You mean I can fight longer?”
“Exactly. The more energy you have, the more times you can use your techniques.”
“I see. But why did you give me this elixir, young master?”
“Well…”
“Because you care about me?”
“No, because I’m full.”
Gwangdu rolled his eyes at my joke. “You’re not planning to use me as a shield when you’re in danger, are you?”
“That might happen in a fight.”
“So, a meat shield?”
“We call it a sword catcher. Haha.”
I reassured the pouting Gwangdu, “I’ll make you an invincible sword catcher. One that can cut down even masters. For my sake and yours.”
His face lit up with determination. “I’ll work hard.”
Gwangdu is truly a joy to teach and nurture.
A martial arts instructor once said that those who are a pleasure to teach grow the fastest. Perhaps they were talking about someone like Gwangdu.
And Gwangdu, I’ll keep my promise.
I’ve decided which wing of the Ma Jeong-su to clip first.
Hwasun Nodae.
This vile old man killed innocent parents and even their young children to satisfy his greed?
Watch closely, Gwangdu.
See how I bring this man to his end.