Chapter 13. The Stone in the Heart

“Hwaaam~.”

Lee Jincheon let out a long yawn.

The fishing rod was gently angled towards the valley.

In the basket next to where he sat, a few fish were flopping around.

I had been watching him the whole time, but the number of fish kept increasing without me even noticing when he had caught them.

“So what was that? You used inner energy?”

“…I do not know for sure.”

Lee Byeok replied.

About half a month had passed.

Hyuk Dae-woong had faced the tiger alone to buy time, and Lee Byeok had handed over the village chief and Jang Seok-du to the villagers before turning back.

And the moment he witnessed the life-or-death crisis Hyuk Dae-woong was in, the movement art and the Azure River Flowing Leaf Sword Style had burst out of Lee Byeok.

It had literally ‘burst out’.

It was not of Lee Byeok’s own will.

At that moment, it was as if Lee Byeok had completely forgotten about the loss of his inner energy, and his body naturally executed the techniques.

However, it was literally just for a moment.

Three consecutive techniques.

That alone had dried up Lee Byeok’s qi and blood, and as a price, he had to spend the past half-month half-sick in bed.

Perhaps if it weren't for Lee Jincheon’s medical skills, he might not have been able to get back on his feet like this.

“So?”

“……”

“If you used it, you used it. If you didn't, you didn't. What do you expect from me? Should I praise you? Good job, youngest. Your achievement is extraordinary~”

Swaaaaaa!

The waterfall crashed down.

The season was entering summer, and the sunlight shattering with the stream of the Falling Dragon Waterfall was full of yang energy.

The mountains and rivers were dyed green. But Lee Byeok still felt as if he was fumbling in the dark.

“Byeok, what makes you so desperate? Huh? Is someone about to catch and kill you? Or do you have to avenge your parents?”

Suddenly, Lee Jincheon’s tone changed slightly.

“Even if you did use your inner energy, it was nothing more than a cow taking a step back and stepping on a rat. If you get too caught up in that experience, you're likely to make the mistake of losing sight of the essence.”

“……”

“Haa. It’s difficult, so difficult.”

Seeing the desperation in Lee Byeok’s expression, Lee Jincheon let out a frustrated sigh.

“Lee Byeok, have you ever thought about why an inner energy cultivation method is called an inner energy cultivation method?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

The topic was thrown at him quite suddenly. It was just like when he had received the Transmitting Qi through Acupoints from him a while ago.

“Things like circulating qi or training inner energy, you see. In the end, it’s a matter of the heart. Wouldn't any divine art have the character for heart in its name because you move qi with your heart?”

Kok.

A finger poked Lee Byeok’s chest.

“I told you that your future achievements depend on your heart. With a stone stuck in that heart of yours, how can the river flow properly?”

“……”

A stone.

Lee Byeok was at a loss for words.

“I have nothing to teach you. No, actually, I have quite a few things, but they are meaningless to you right now.”

Paeng! Suddenly, the fishing line tensed up.

Lee Jincheon’s gaze returned to the valley.

Chwaak. The fishing rod was easily pulled up, and another fish was added to the basket.

“You can read the water, but you can never know what's inside a person. How can you know another’s heart when a lifetime is spent dying without even properly knowing one's own?”

Hwook. The hook was cast again.

“Therefore, finding the stone in your heart, and taking that stone out, is something no one can do for you but yourself.”

“…Thank you.”

Kkubeok. Lee Byeok bowed his head.

“So, you punk. Eat, sleep, work, and play. Strive, but not too hard. And fool around moderately too.”

Ssiik. Lee Jincheon showed a smile.

Lee Byeok looked at his side profile for a moment.

The air of a master, the mystique of a Daoist, but he usually showed a frivolous demeanor like a common ruffian.

As he said, his inner thoughts were inscrutable.

But Lee Byeok thought that following this person was definitely not the wrong choice.

“Still, you did well. It was quite impressive.”

After a brief silence, Lee Jincheon spoke again.

“…What are you referring to?”

“Dae-woong. Of course, I wouldn't have let him die one way or another, but thanks to you, he ended up not getting seriously hurt.”

“No. That was rather—”

“Indeed, quite impressive. For a good-for-nothing disciple who doesn't even properly do the one training assignment I gave him and demands the inner energy I had entrusted to him.”

Assignment?

Puzzled, Lee Byeok blinked his eyes, and Lee Jincheon gave a light nod with his chin towards the lower part of the valley.

Lee Byeok’s gaze shifted.

Chwaat!

“Ah! Cold! Euk! Wait!”

“Kyahahaha! Die, you bastard!”

In the lower part of the valley, the young affiliate disciples of the Falling Sword Sect were absorbed in playing in the water.

Suddenly, his eyes met Wang Suyeon’s, who was sitting by the water.

Wang Suyeon hastily averted her gaze. She said something to Jaegal Somi, who was sitting next to her.

“I clearly told you to instruct the affiliate disciples. But only one? Did my words seem like a joke to you?”

“B-But the children didn’t want to……”

“Tsk, tsk! Children are more honest with their hearts than anyone. How much did you try to understand the hearts of those children?”

“……”

For a moment, it felt like he had been hit on the head.

“Aing, you dull fellow. Listen carefully! Dae-woong and Somi are popular with the kids, but it’s already been two years, so what they can teach is slowly reaching its limit.”

Hook. Lee Jincheon’s face came closer.

“And do you know what this means? If we run out of things to teach, we won’t be able to receive the official subsidy anymore. Your clothes, food, and even your wooden sword, everything depends on it!”

“……”

“Swordsmanship is good, and martial arts are good! But have you ever starved? Huh? A guy who wants to make a living with a sword, where does he get off being so high and mighty, picking and choosing his customers?! You have to approach them first! Bow your head! And know how to serve!”

There was no possible reply.

It was something Seonwoo Byeok, the former young master of a clan, could never have even imagined.

But Lee Byeok was feeling it.

He was newly amazed every day at how many things living itself required.

“Go, Lee Byeok. The Way is over there.”

Suddenly, Lee Jincheon spoke of the Way.

An endlessly serious gaze. Lee Byeok nodded his head. Jeobeok, jeobeok. He began to walk.

After defeating Jang Seok-du in the previous duel, Lee Byeok had been consistently shunned by the children.

With the exception of one person.

“Ah, ahaha, Byeok oppa!”

“A moment.”

Wang Suyeon tried to talk to him, but Lee Byeok showed her his palm. And he passed by her.

He continued to approach the children.

Padadadat!

“Uwak!! Kids, look over there!!”

“Uwaaaak!! The Sword Ogre is coming!!”

“Run away!! If you get caught, you’ll die!!”

The reaction was immediate. The moment the children saw Lee Byeok, they all started to flee, splashing through the water.

Tak, cheombeong!

A boy tripped and fell.

Lee Byeok quickly approached and reached out his hand.

“Eu, euu, eu-aaa……!”

“Child, do you know swordsmanship?”

“S-Save…!”

“Your lower body is weak. Don’t you want to train yourself? An opportunity like this doesn’t come easily. If by any chance you have the talent, you could even handle qi—”

“Uwaaaaaang!”

Hwiik! Ttaak!

A pebble hit the back of Lee Byeok’s head.

“Hey, you cultist bastard! Why are you suddenly trying to sell your stuff to kids who were playing just fine?!”

“That is, the Sect Leader said……”

“The Sect Leader what?!”

Hwik!

Jaegal Somi’s gaze turned upwards.

But Lee Jincheon was already gone from there. The fishing rod and the basket had disappeared as if by magic.

“……”

A sadness arose in Lee Byeok’s heart.

***

Hwiik! Hwik!

“Die, you Sword Ogre!”

Pebbles and branches flew at him.

Of course, there was no reason to let himself be hit, so Lee Byeok dodged or deflected them.

But the children, untiring, continued to throw things.

The path down from the valley to the village.

The children had always been wary of Lee Byeok, but once they realized he wouldn't retaliate, they began to actively exclude him.

“Stop it!! You bad kids!!”

Wang Suyeon stepped forward.

“I’ve had enough! Hey! Wang Ilsang! Wang Igang! You just wait, I’m going to tell Dad everything when we get home!”

“Bleh~! So what~!”

“If you’ve got a problem, try hitting us~!”

Among the children, two boys who had been particularly persistent in throwing stones hid behind a tree like squirrels.

“Byeok oppa. I’m really sorry.”

Kkubeok. Wang Suyeon bowed her head.

“They’re my younger brothers… they’ve been like real brothers with Seok-du since they were little. Plus, because of me, they seem to be acting even meaner to you, oppa……”

“…I do not mind.”

“Still. Are you hurt?”

Seeing the anxious Wang Suyeon, even Lee Byeok felt a little troubled.

“O-Oppa. I’ll learn even harder. So please don’t teach those kinds of kids swordsmanship!”

With a sudden clench, she made a fist.

A bitter sense of disharmony brushed past Lee Byeok.

But… the heart is a delicate thing. Lee Byeok looked at Wang Suyeon. Whether it was sympathy or consideration.

“Thank you, Suyeon.”

“…Ah, no! Not at all! Ehehe!”

Hwiik!

Something flew at him again.

Not towards Lee Byeok, but towards Wang Suyeon.

Lee Byeok quickly raised his arm to block it.

Cheolpeok!

But it was a clod of mud.

The mud that hit Lee Byeok’s forearm splattered everywhere. Chalssak. It stuck to Wang Suyeon’s cheek.

“Ooooooh~ Mud piggy~”

“The mud piggy is blushing~”

Wang Suyeon’s gaze turned icy.

“…Those insolent little— At.”

Hap. Wang Suyeon covered her mouth with her hand.

“Oppa, well, I just remembered I have something to do… I’ll go down first! See you at the sect!”

With a final bright smile, Wang Suyeon turned around.

Dadadat. And she sprinted down the mountain.

“I’ll kill you… I’ll definitely kill you……”

“Uwaaaak! The mud piggy is chasing us!”

The children of the Wang family quickly disappeared down the mountain. After that, the mountain path became quiet again.

Lee Byeok looked at the children.

Once the instigating Wang brothers were gone, no more pebbles and such flew at him.

But the children’s attitudes were still one of two things. They either feared Lee Byeok or showed hostility.

“Tsk tsk! You’re trying so hard.”

Jaegal Somi approached.

“Well, but it can’t be helped. Seok-du was the oldest among the village kids. What else would an outsider who suddenly appears and beats him up be, if not a villain?”

“……”

“Is it unfair? Even after you risked your life to save him? But what can you do, when no one saw you save Seok-du’s life.”

Afterward, the village chief and Jang Seok-du did not show themselves in the village. He heard they were focusing on recovery at home.

A medicine peddler who could even save a life that had fallen off a cliff was making house calls, so there was probably not much to worry about.

“Kids have their own relationships, you see. It might have been fun when you were beating up Seok-du, but you trampled into that relationship with muddy feet.”

Heart, and relationship.

The Seonwoo Byeok of the past was someone who never needed to approach anyone first.

He just swung his sword, grew stronger, and defeated the opponent before him. That was how he reached the center of the clan.

Was I, a nobody, just a person who couldn't even get along normally?

Lee Byeok laughed. His bitter laughs only increased.

The party returned to the village.

Kkiik. They opened the gate of the Falling Sword Sect and stepped inside. And.

Tadak, tak!

“Oh, you’re here now, kids?”

Lee Jincheon was there.

With a nonchalant face, he was once again lighting a bonfire in the middle of the training ground.

Skewered fish were being grilled.

“Come here. Let’s have a snack.”

“Wow! Sect Leader is the best!”

The children all rushed forward.

It was then. From the inner side of the training ground, a cloud of dust suddenly rose and began to approach quickly.

Tadadadat!

“How does!! a mud piggy cry?!”

“A mud piggy!! Cries ‘heuk heuk’!!”

“Heok, hey!! Heok! Don’t you dare stop?!”

From afar, the Wang brothers were approaching quickly. Behind them, Wang Suyeon was chasing them, swinging a wooden sword.

“You can’t catch me now, big sis~”

“Do you still think we’re kids?!”

“Heok, heok! Heok! Just you wait till I catch you! I’ll just break your damn legs—!”

The running brothers spotted the children.

At the moment they almost collided, they deftly dodged and slipped past them. But.

Kkiik!

“Uwat!!”

Wang Suyeon’s reaction was slow.

She hastily slowed down and came to a stop, but she couldn't overcome the momentum and her body tilted.

Lee Byeok stepped forward.

Tak. He caught the falling Wang Suyeon.

“Are you alright?”

“Heok! Who?! At! By-Byeok oppa!”

It was an embracing posture. Wang Suyeon’s body, which was about to push him away, stiffened for a moment. A brief silence fell over the training ground.

Kkiik.

And in the silence, the sound of the main gate opening was heard again. The group’s gazes turned backward.

Jeobeok. A figure stepped in.

“…Ah! Brother Seok-du!”

“Brother!! Are you okay now?!”

The Wang brothers approached.

But Jang Seok-du, who had stepped inside the gate, did not open his mouth.

His gaze was fixed on Lee Byeok, and then Wang Suyeon.

A burning gaze.

Jeobeok, jeobeok. He came straight towards them.

“……”

He limped slightly on one leg.

But other than that, he seemed to have no major injuries. And his large frame, bigger than Lee Byeok’s, looked down.

A face as hard as stone.

“S-Seok-du. Are you okay—?”

Teolseok!

It was before Wang Suyeon could even finish her sentence. Jang Seok-du’s form quickly crumbled.

“Thank you! For saving me!”

He prostrated himself flat on the ground.

“My life… and my father’s too! I mean it. I’m sorry for acting so poorly without knowing my place!”

Kung! Kung! Kung!

He began to slam his forehead on the ground.

“…Huh? Brother Seok-du?”

“Why? To this piece of dog shit……”

“What? Dog shit?!”

Hwik. Jang Seok-du’s head turned.

He glared at the Wang brothers.

“Do you want to die, you bastards?”

“…Hik.”

Turning pale, the brothers stealthily backed away. Jang Seok-du’s gaze returned to Lee Byeok.

Kung! Kung! Kung!

“No, Jang Seok-du, get up! What is this! You haven't even recovered yet!”

“…Don’t do this.”

“No! Not yet!”

Kung! Kung! Kung!

Jang Seok-du was adamant.

He shouted as he slammed his forehead.

“I will never! Forget! That you saved me! For the rest of my life! I will serve you as my big brother!”

Umjjil.

Lee Byeok’s expression wavered.

—Big Brother.

And Lee Byeok’s body, without him realizing it, took a step back.

“Tsk tsk.”

Lee Jincheon clicked his tongue lowly.

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