Episode 88

Lee Geon, the fifth disciple of the mysterious master Cheong Gwangjin—who was both the greatest expert of the Cheongseong faction and one of the legendary “Five Eccentrics of the World”—had been unable to see since as far back as he could remember.

Why this was so, he had no idea.

All he knew was that because he couldn’t see, his parents had abandoned him, and an old mountain hermit had taken him in and raised him.

Back then, the hermit called the nameless boy “Aga.”

Life was harsh and lonely—often hungry, living alone in the forest with only the old man for company.

Yet, strangely, Lee Geon never felt sad.

Perhaps because he had never known anything else, he didn’t feel the lack.

As a child, he had only one wish:

“I want to see with my own eyes. To see the grandfather, myself, and this world.”

Yes.

To see the world with his own eyes was Lee Geon’s sole desire.

The mountain hermit would often tell him stories about the world around them.

About the sun, which warmed the earth with its radiant light; the moon and stars that adorned the dark night; the birds and insects whose fresh sounds filled the air; and the trees, grass, and flowers that filled the world with fragrance.

Lee Geon longed to see all of it.

Just hearing the sounds and smelling the scents was wonderful enough—how happy would he be if he could actually see it?

That was the only wish of his childhood.

Maybe that’s why, at some point, Lee Geon began to perceive the world not through sight, but through other senses.

He “saw” shapes through the resonance of sounds, the flow of air on his skin, the density of scents.

With just these, he could discern the form of objects, their exact size and position.

In fact, in terms of perceiving space itself and grasping the essence of things, he could “see” even better than the hermit.

Though he couldn’t perceive what the hermit called “color,” that alone was enough to make Lee Geon happy.

“This is enough. I don’t need anything more.”

The young Lee Geon was content with life.

Then, one day, someone came looking for him.

Through his heightened senses, Lee Geon perceived an old man with a beard as thick as the hermit’s.

But this man was strange.

Though heavily bearded, he didn’t feel frail or weak as one might expect of an elder.

Instead, he radiated a fierce power, like a raging typhoon or blazing sun.

It was a strange sensation—his instincts and perceptions were at odds.

Curious about this odd mismatch, Lee Geon observed him closely.

The man spoke first.

“Can you feel this?”

With that, he slowly drew a sword.

Only later did Lee Geon realize what had truly happened.

At that moment, the sensation was like a typhoon stretching its limbs toward the world—a magnificent, overwhelming force.

It felt as if some colossal being, not human, was being unleashed from a seal.

When the man lightly slashed the sword, Lee Geon sensed the world split in two for a brief instant.

Air, scent, sound—everything divided.

In that moment, Lee Geon understood what a shiver down the spine truly meant.

He was utterly speechless, mouth agape.

Then the man said,

“A child who cannot see as others do, and so sees what others cannot… You might truly glimpse the Mythic Mirror. Child, will you follow me?”

Unable to contain himself, Lee Geon blurted out,

“If I follow you, will I be able to do that too? To split air, scent, sound, and space?”

The man looked at him for a moment, then answered,

“With you… you might even be able to split the world itself.”

That was Lee Geon’s first meeting with his master, Cheong Gwangjin.

The master gave the nameless boy the name “Geon,” saying it was the name of the person he should aspire to become.

Since he took the hermit’s surname, Aga finally became Lee Geon.

Following his master, Lee Geon remained in the mountains for over twenty years.

At twenty-one, when he finally descended to the world below, he found it a place he truly liked.

The people, the objects, the events—nothing failed to excite him.

Of course, that was probably because he had only been granted a single year’s leave before returning to seclusion.

Lee Geon already knew that the quiet of the mountains suited him better than the noise of the world.

And, as his master wished, he had no intention of leaving the mountains until he had glimpsed the Mythic Mirror.

That was not only his master’s wish but his own.

Still, for now, it was a vacation.

A one-year break granted by his master before returning to seclusion.

Lee Geon wanted to enjoy it without regrets.

So, after coming down from the mountain, he stood before the two people who had brought him the most joy.

And he asked,

“Master Seonwoo, would you spar with me?”

His respected senior, Hwa Youngbin, had told him that among his peers, the only worthy rival was Seonwoo Jin.

Lee Geon didn’t want to let him go without a challenge.

Seonwoo Jin looked at Lee Geon, who had suddenly appeared and unexpectedly requested a duel, for a moment.

Then he smiled and nodded.

“Very well. But may I set one condition?”

---

A few days after the Cheongseong faction and the Dang clan seized control of Jeonghyeopbang, Bisa-yeong and I finally decided to leave.

We could have left immediately, but there were a few things we wanted to confirm, so we stayed a little longer.

Only three people came to see us off.

Cheongseong and Dang were still locked in territorial disputes, and neither faction paid us any attention.

It was frustrating and pathetic, but after hearing Hwa Youngbin—whom I now called “hyung” (older brother)—explain, I understood.

He told us,

“The territories of Cheongseong, Ami, and Dang have been fixed for hundreds of years. Can you guess why?”

The territories hadn’t changed for centuries.

I could roughly guess what was going on.

Even why they were so desperate now.

“Because they’re orthodox factions. So this is an opportunity they can’t afford to miss.”

Hyung smiled and nodded.

“Exactly. Though I’m not sure how important it really is.”

Bisa-yeong sighed deeply.

“If you’re going to talk like that, do it when I’m not around.”

Her sulky tone made hyung laugh and apologize.

“Ah, sorry. When I talk with Seonwoo Soje, I tend to skip the middle steps. So…”

That was the gist.

Though Cheongseong and Dang were the strongest forces, as orthodox factions representing the old great sects and the five great families, they couldn’t just invade other factions’ territories and expand recklessly.

Since Cheongseong, Ami, and Dang firmly held Sichuan Province, the heterodox factions had no foothold there, and the existing sects all followed them, leaving no excuse to expand.

Hyung added,

“Also, these three great factions kept each other in check, so there was no room to move recklessly.”

Then, suddenly, a faction called Jeonghyeopbang appeared—orthodox in name only—and unified all the forces that the three great factions hadn’t dared touch.

And, thankfully, they vacated the area for us.

Like a traveler who suddenly appears, cultivates barren land into fields, and then quietly leaves.

So now, if we step into that vacant spot, we could expand territories that had been fixed for hundreds of years.

Moreover, the Ami faction, which balanced the three powers, was currently unable to manage its own affairs.

Cheongseong and Dang wouldn’t miss this chance.

After hearing this, Bisa-yeong said,

“Then Sichuan Province will be noisy for a while, caught in the friction between these two forces.”

Her rare accurate prediction earned my admiration.

“Wow! Not bad!”

“…Are you mocking me?”

“Oh! You noticed that too? Impressive!”

“You brat!”

Bisa-yeong punched me repeatedly, but since my external martial arts training didn’t involve internal energy, her blows just tickled.

Anyway, as Bisa-yeong predicted, Cheongseong and Dang seemed set to focus on their territorial disputes for the foreseeable future.

So I asked Hwa Youngbin, who had come to see us off, to take care of things.

“Please take care of it, hyung.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave a single remnant behind.”

The Hao sects of Sichuan Province finally agreed to actively cooperate in rooting out the Blood Sect’s forces operating within the province.

Though the Hao sects were a loose alliance of regional branches rather than a centralized sect, and couldn’t make the same promise to other provinces, they at least pledged not to provide information to the Blood Sect anymore.

This was exactly the outcome I wanted.

It meant we could likely prevent the Blood Sect’s prior infiltration, which I had experienced in my previous life.

My second life was truly changing history.

“It was possible. To change the future…”

I felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

However, I couldn’t entrust the task of eradicating the Blood Sect to the Wulin Alliance or to Cheongseong and Dang, who were preoccupied with their territorial disputes.

So I asked hyung to handle that part.

Of course, my older brother agreed without hesitation.

But this time, unlike before when he acted alone, he came leading the followers of Cheongseong’s Cheonggwangjin.

I began to think that the reason he had avoided mingling with others until now was probably because he lacked the will to live.

Now that a spark had returned to his eyes, he spoke with newfound confidence.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t been making full use of what I have, not even close to how you do, even though we just met briefly. From now on, I’m going to start using myself properly—making the most of my position and the forces at my command.”

Seeing the lively expression on his face was truly heartwarming.

“Yes, I trust you, brother.”

After bidding him farewell, Lee Geon, the bright-eyed disciple standing beside me, spoke with a cheerful smile.

“Let’s have another fun fight next time. Take care, Jin, Sayoung.”

I decided to become friends with Lee Geon, the fifth disciple of Cheonggwangjin and a genius swordsman.

That was the condition for him to spar with me.

“Alright, see you soon. Sayoung said she’s coming to Sacheon Province on her next leave, so we’ll probably meet then. Though, I wonder if she’ll have time for me when she’s busy seeing other people?”

“Cough!”

Honestly, my suggestion to be friends with him had a rather selfish motive.

I figured that if I could befriend a genius who might one day rise to legendary status, even if all my efforts against the Blood Sect failed, I might still get one more chance… well, that was the calculating part of it.

But after spending a few days with him, I realized he was genuinely a charming person, and I was truly glad to have become friends with him for reasons beyond any strategy.

Looking at him, I was able to break a long-held stereotype.

“I always thought purity and wisdom couldn’t coexist in the same person…”

Maybe because he had trained only in the mountains, or because he perceived the world through senses other than sight, he was a type of person I’d never seen before—possessing the innocence of a child and the wisdom of an elder all at once.

Being around him cleared my mind completely, and I often found myself marveling at his insightful perspective.

His swordsmanship was exceptional, of course.

Our first duel ended without a clear winner.

But that was only because he lacked experience and barely managed to hold his own; skill-wise, he was no match for me.

Every time our swords met, I gained new inspiration.

“And that’s not all—his appearance is incredible too.”

Lee Geon was as beautiful as a woman.

No, that wasn’t quite right.

There were hardly any women as beautiful as him that came to mind.

Sometimes, just watching his bright smile made my heart race without me realizing it.

It was truly a pity that he couldn’t see his own stunning face.

Just yesterday, his looks had sparked an argument between me and Bisa-yeong.

We disagreed over who was more beautiful—Lee Geon or Jeong-an Sojeo.

“Honestly, objectively speaking, isn’t Geon prettier?”

“What are you talking about?! That’s ridiculous!”

“Then why are you getting so worked up?”

“I’m not worked up! But no matter how pretty he is, you can’t compare him to Jeong-an Sojeo!”

In my opinion, no matter how I looked at it, Lee Geon was more beautiful.

Anyway, getting to know my brother and Lee Geon through this whole ordeal was truly a great fortune for me.

After saying our goodbyes to the two of them, we greeted the third and final person.

She was Jeong-in Sojeo of the Ami Sword Sect, rescued from the Jeonghyeop Gang.

She was also the main reason I had to stay here a few more days.

“Senior warriors Sunwoo and Bi, I will repay your kindness someday. If I can’t, I suppose I’ll just marry into the Confucian scholars! Ha ha ha! Until we meet again! Take care!”

She was a woman with a spirited voice and personality far stronger than most men.

Her bold words made us smile awkwardly as we clasped hands and said our farewells.

“Yes, Jeong-in Sojeo. I wish the Ami Sect a bright future.”

“Please also send my regards to Jeong-an Sojeo.”

I had stayed behind to watch over her at Jeonghyeop Gang out of caution.

If someone like her, known as the Ami Sword Sect’s prodigy, had been forcibly married into the Blood Sect, it would have been a disaster.

But after several days of observation, there was no sign she had been coerced or subjected to any secret spells.

If she had, she wouldn’t be so cheerful.

According to her, a man named Gu Yusang of the Baekokjirong had threatened her, but he left and never returned.

“At first, I was very nervous, but thanks to that, I escaped unharmed. Life really is full of unexpected turns. Ha ha ha!”

She laughed as cheerfully as any man.

Hmm, Gu Yusang of Baekokjirong…

There was no trace of his activities yet, but since he was clearly a Blood Sect member, I suspected he would appear when the remaining remnants like Haomun were wiped out.

Anyway, it was finally time to meet my comrades, who were like family.

Just thinking about seeing them again after so long lifted my spirits.

Suddenly, Bisa-yeong asked,

“But how will we meet the others? Are they still at the Mountain Sword Gate?”

“I guess so. But even if not, we’ll find them quickly. They’ve all become famous in Guizhou Province, haven’t they?”

“True, that’s right.”

Hmm, famous, huh.

It did make me a little uneasy.

Being too much in the spotlight…

I thought I should discuss this with Cheong-yeon Sojeo when we met.

This could become a variable.

If Jegal Jigang of the Martial Alliance were to become aware of us, things might get complicated.