Episode 267: Return to the Demonic Sect
Just the sight of the endless walls was enough to tell that this was a rather wealthy household.
Sabi Kang and his companions passed through the grand entrance, guided by a servant, and made their way to the inner quarters.
In such affluent households, even the servants tend to carry a certain air of arrogance, but these ones were all exceptionally polite and humble.
The reason Sabi Kang and his group had come to this unfamiliar place was because Jo Shinryang insisted on meeting someone important before leaving Jeonggang Mountain.
As they entered the inner quarters, a middle-aged man, who appeared to be the head of the household, rushed out to greet Jo Shinryang warmly.
“Ah, sir! What brings you all the way here? And who might these people be?”
“They are my guests.”
“Of course. If they are your guests, they are mine as well. Please, come inside.”
The middle-aged man promptly led them to the guest hall.
He ordered some expensive tea to be served and introduced himself to Sabi Kang and his companions with great courtesy.
“Welcome. My name is Noh Daeyoung.”
Upon hearing the introduction, Sabi Kang started and looked at Noh Daeyoung.
“Did you say your name is Noh Daeyoung?”
“Yes, indeed. Do you know me?”
Sabi Kang shook his head slowly.
“No, this is our first meeting.”
It was true.
Sabi Kang had never met Noh Daeyoung before.
But that didn’t mean he knew nothing about him.
Noh Daeyoung.
In his past life, he remembered Noh Daeyoung as a man who, during the invasion of the demonic realm, had used his vast wealth to support the martial artists in every possible way.
He was one of the few who, despite not being a martial artist himself, had been a great ally to them.
Though they had never met, Sabi Kang had always wanted to meet him, and now fate had brought them together.
Noh Daeyoung and Jo Shinryang spent quite some time exchanging trivial stories.
As their teacups were nearly empty, Jo Shinryang placed a large box on the table with a serious expression.
Noh Daeyoung’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What is this, sir?”
“I’m planning to leave now.”
“I see… I knew this day would come eventually.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Your skills in carving are extraordinary, and since you don’t do it for a living… I always suspected you were someone remarkable.”
“It’s not about carving.”
“Regardless, you’re too talented to be living in such isolation.”
“Enough with the nonsense. I’m entrusting this to you.”
Noh Daeyoung opened the box and was taken aback.
Inside was the cherished sculpture he had long desired.
“Are you really giving this to me?”
“As I said, I’m just entrusting it to you for a while. It’s too cumbersome to carry around.”
Despite his words, Jo Shinryang’s eyes were filled with affection as he looked at the sculpture.
“Don’t worry.”
“Take good care of it. I’ll come back for it.”
“Of course.”
Noh Daeyoung, with a warm smile, saw Sabi Kang and his companions off.
Sabi Kang turned back to him and bowed.
“Thank you for your dedication, Master Noh.”
“Haha, dedication, you say? I’m the one who should be grateful.”
Sabi Kang simply smiled enigmatically and turned away.
In truth, his mention of dedication referred to events that would occur in a future that was both near and far.
And so, Jo Shinryang left Jeonggang Mountain for good.
**
On the third day after leaving Jeonggang Mountain, a heavy rain fell.
Caught in an unexpected downpour, Sabi Kang and his companions found themselves stranded in a mountain village, unable to move forward or back.
The swollen streams and fallen trees blocked the roads, making travel impossible.
Of course, with their martial arts skills, they could have overcome such obstacles, but since Jo Shinryang couldn’t use martial arts, Sabi Kang had no choice but to seek shelter in the largest house in the village, the village chief’s home.
Due to a shortage of rooms, they had to share, with two people per room. Jo Shinryang ended up sharing a room with Churyang.
Churyang, who had many questions for Jo Shinryang, seized the opportunity that night to ask everything he had been curious about.
“What exactly is that sculpture you mentioned?”
“None of your concern.”
“How did you learn internal energy while working as a blacksmith?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Why did you suddenly stop being a blacksmith? You’re so skilled.”
“That’s my business.”
“What is this ‘Mansaeng Sword’ you keep mentioning?”
“Quiet.”
“Are we really going to break the Mansaeng Sword?”
“Ah, you! If you’re so curious, go ask your master!”
Finally, unable to hold back, Jo Shinryang threw off his blanket and sat up.
He grumbled as he rubbed his ears.
“You’re so noisy, I can’t sleep! If you keep this up, I’ll throw you out!”
“Ha, sir, you truly are the epitome of ‘Chundaerae.’”
“Chun… what?”
“Chundaerae. It’s a term for someone who acts cold as winter but waits for others to approach them like spring. It’s a nickname my master gave to the Lord of the State.”
“Chundaerae… Haha!”
For some reason, Jo Shinryang found this incredibly amusing and laughed heartily.
After a while, he calmed down and muttered to himself.
“Chundaerae. Yes, there was someone like that.”
Seeing his self-deprecating smile, Churyang thought it was a good opportunity and quickly asked.
“Who was that?”
“A guy who was always prickly with me. But he had a deep heart.”
**
“Come on, teach me properly. You’re too prickly.”
Young Jo Shinryang’s words were met with a pout from his younger brother, Jo Shinwoo.
“It’s because you don’t understand the first time, brother.”
“Well, I never formally learned martial arts like you, did I?”
“Alright, alright. Just focus on your breathing exercises for now. Focus!”
With Jo Shinwoo’s stern reprimand, Jo Shinryang quickly closed his eyes and concentrated on his internal energy exercises.
Jo Shinryang had been practicing these exercises since he was in his early twenties.
It all started when his younger brother, Jo Shinwoo, suggested one day:
“Brother, if you use internal energy to forge weapons, you might create even better ones.”
At first, he dismissed it as nonsense.
The idea of using internal energy techniques for blacksmithing seemed laughable.
But gradually, he became intrigued.
He had started blacksmithing to support his younger brother and make a living, but the more he did it, the more he felt it was his calling.
He became increasingly ambitious about creating better weapons.
To him, they weren’t just weapons; they were works of art.
Moreover, seeing soldiers use his weapons to defeat bandits gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
One day, his brother said:
“Brother, you’re making swords that save lives. Be proud.”
Those words gave him immense strength.
‘Yes, I’m making swords that save lives!’
He felt he had made the right decision by using his earnings from blacksmithing to enroll his brother in the martial arts academy.
Jo Shinwoo, who cherished his brother deeply, would teach him internal energy techniques whenever he had the chance.
Even though it might have hindered his own martial arts training, he didn’t mind at all.
Jo Shinwoo often said:
“A brother’s success is a younger brother’s success.”
And so, time passed.
The internal energy techniques he learned from Jo Shinwoo greatly aided his blacksmithing.
Initially, it was a basic technique that even ordinary guards learned.
But later, Jo Shinwoo secretly taught him the academy’s secret techniques, risking his own safety.
He was willing to risk his life for his brother’s success.
With his natural talent and the addition of internal energy, Jo Shinryang’s skills improved rapidly.
During the Great Demonic War, even the prestigious martial sects sought out his weapons.
Eventually, he developed his own method of using internal energy that was more suited to blacksmithing.
He truly had the makings of a master craftsman.
His skills were so exceptional that he gained quite a reputation among martial artists, earning the nickname “Alchemist of the Divine.”
Though he found it embarrassing, he didn’t entirely dislike it.
Perhaps because he spent so much time teaching his brother, Jo Shinwoo never achieved great success in martial arts.
But by some stroke of luck, he survived a life-and-death duel he hadn’t wanted to participate in.
He tearfully thanked his brother, saying it was the excellent sword he had made that saved his life.
Jo Shinryang always used the best materials to make weapons for his brother.
And so, the years went by.
Then, one day, a man wearing a deep-brimmed hat visited the forge.
From the first impression, he didn’t seem pleasant.
With a gloomy gaze, he looked at Jo Shinryang and asked in a gruff voice:
“Are you the Alchemist of the Divine?”
“Well, that’s what people call me.”
Jo Shinryang felt embarrassed and nodded awkwardly.
He sensed the man’s lips curl into a smirk beneath the hat.
But having dealt with many martial artists, he wasn’t particularly bothered.
They all laughed at him initially, but once he handed over the weapons, they were ready to bow in gratitude.
The man placed a promissory note on the workbench.
Jo Shinryang’s eyes widened as he checked it.
“This, this is…?”
A staggering sum of one hundred thousand nyang!
He had never received such a large amount before.
“Make me a fine sword.”
“When do you need it by?”
“The sooner, the better.”
“It’ll take at least a month.”
“That should be enough. Once it’s completed, I’ll pay you the rest.”
With those words, the man from Bangnip turned and left.
That day, Jo Shin-ryang couldn’t stop his heart from racing as he stared at the promissory note worth a hundred thousand nyang over and over again.
Never in his life had he imagined he would receive such a large sum all at once.
“Once it’s finished, it’ll be two hundred thousand nyang. With that money… I can craft a truly exceptional sword for Shin-woo.”
The man had seemed somewhat gloomy, but what did it matter?
Two hundred thousand nyang would allow him to forge a magnificent sword for his brother.
His brother, who couldn’t achieve martial greatness because of him.
Jo Shin-ryang immediately set to work.
After a month of tireless forging day and night, he finally created a sword worthy of being called a masterpiece.
The man from Bangnip seemed quite pleased.
“Impressive. But what’s this?”
He pointed to the blade.
There, the words “Sword of Life” were engraved.
“My goal from the start was to create a sword that saves lives. I inscribed it with the hope that it would be used to save many.”
“Hah, saving many lives, you say. Well, alright.”
The man from Bangnip smirked slightly, leaving the hundred thousand nyang note behind without another word.
Even with the two hundred thousand nyang note in front of him, Jo Shin-ryang couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or awake.
Two hundred thousand nyang!
He immediately called for Jo Shin-woo to share the news.
“I’ve received two hundred thousand nyang! I’ll make you an extraordinary sword!”
“Why don’t you use that money to treat yourself to something nice, brother? Or sell the sword for an even higher price.”
Despite his words, Jo Shin-woo was genuinely happy.
With excitement, Jo Shin-ryang invested the two hundred thousand nyang into crafting a sword of unparalleled quality.
About two months passed.
There were roughly three days left until the sword would be complete.
“The end is finally in sight!”
His heart raced with anticipation.
In three days, it would also be his brother Jo Shin-woo’s birthday.
“I hope he likes his birthday gift.”
But then, his heart sank with unexpected news.
He learned that his brother, Jo Shin-woo, was in grave danger.