Chapter 8. The First-Generation Disciple, Lee Byeok (3)

“Yaaat!”

The wooden sword was swung messily.

Lee Byeok silently watched Wang Suyeon’s stance as she awkwardly held the sword.

If he were to point things out, there would be no end to it.

Before even discussing swordsmanship, she absolutely lacked basic physical strength and muscle power.

But… Lee Byeok had no idea where and how to start teaching.

It’s not like she was going to become a martial artist.

Forcing a village girl to undergo the harsh physical training required in a martial arts sect didn’t make sense in Lee Byeok’s mind either.

“Ah, uwaaa!”

Grab.

For a moment, Wang Suyeon misstepped and her body tilted forward. Lee Byeok quickly extended his arm.

Poof, Wang Suyeon’s body leaned against him.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah! Yes, th-thank— Kyaak!”

Taak.

Suddenly, Wang Suyeon pushed Lee Byeok away.

But it was Wang Suyeon herself who was pushed back instead.

Lee Byeok looked with bewildered eyes at Wang Suyeon, who had moved a couple of steps away and barely regained her balance.

“…Do I not smell of sweat?”

“…No, you don’t.”

A face turning red.

Whip, Wang Suyeon hastily averted her gaze from Lee Byeok. And she began to swing the sword again.

…This should be enough for now.

Lee Byeok thought. Until she builds up some muscle strength, just swinging it should be enough.

So he watches silently.

Since Wang Suyeon was currently Lee Byeok’s only disciple, there was nothing else for him to do besides watching her.

Even after defeating Jang Seok-du, Wang Suyeon was still the only one among the village children who wished to learn the sword from Lee Byeok.

The other children would startle and avoid his gaze whenever their eyes met.

“……”

What went wrong?

In any case, although it wasn't his intention, the morning spent instructing Wang Suyeon had become the most leisurely time of his packed day.

It had already been ten days since he settled in the Falling Sword Sect. Lee Byeok was slowly adapting to his new life.

In the morning, he taught Wang Suyeon the sword, and in the afternoon, he learned household chores from Jaegal Somi and outdoor work from Hyuk Dae-woong.

For Lee Byeok, who had spent all day in the past engrossed in his own martial arts, each and every one was a strange and new experience.

Was life so full of so much labor just by living?

He could only barely manage to train his martial arts after the sun had set.

In the short time before going to bed, Lee Byeok would meditate or repeat duels with Hyuk Dae-woong and Jaegal Somi.

They were quite fulfilling days.

However.

“…Haa.”

Lee Byeok sighed.

On the other hand, in the depths of Lee Byeok’s heart, an impatience was slowly growing.

Since the day he received the ‘secret art’ from Lee Jincheon, he still hadn’t found even a clue about inner arts.

Looking back, it was an experience like forcefully tearing apart the broken qi and blood in his body to make a path.

After the pain that made his consciousness grow dim had passed, an unbelievable inner arts and a sense of fullness had come.

But it was only for a single moment.

Since that day, Lee Byeok had tried to circulate the Azure River Flowing Leaf Art several times again.

His qi and blood were clean as if they had never been injured, and his energy flowed majestically like a river.

But that was it. Since he had no qi center, the energy flowed and flowed, just passing through his body like a bottomless pot.

“……”

If he had his way, he wanted to grab Lee Jincheon and ask for his teaching all night for several days.

But Lee Jincheon had said that there was nothing he could teach him ‘at this stage’.

Without teaching him a single bit of swordsmanship, he had only left behind the vague words, ‘try to reflect your heart in the sword you have’.

And since that day, his whereabouts had become unknown again.

According to Jaegal Somi, it seemed to be a common occurrence for him to disappear for several days.

Circulation, vessel, the meaning of tears.

He went over the words Lee Jincheon had mentioned one by one. But it still felt like he was wandering in a fog.

In any case, Lee Byeok aimlessly repeated the Azure River Sword Style.

Even if he had to abandon the Seonwoo Clan’s sword someday as Lee Jincheon said, for now, he had no choice but to rely on the ‘sword he had’.

“…Oppa?”

“…Haa.”

“Byeok-i oppa?”

Of course, it wasn't the first time he had hit a limit in practicing martial arts.

But no matter how daunting it was, in the past, there was nothing Lee Byeok couldn't overcome with effort and talent.

But… this time was different.

A sense of hopelessness as if groping in a fog.

Regaining inner arts without a qi center still felt like an impossible thing.

“Hey!”

Wang Suyeon shouted.

Lee Byeok awoke from his thoughts. By then, Wang Suyeon’s face was right in front of him.

“Is there something you want to ask?”

“No, you keep sighing, oppa……”

Wang Suyeon, who hesitates.

She tries to say something but swallows it.

“…I’m sorry. I’m hopeless, aren’t I?”

Wang Suyeon’s shoulders slumped.

“No, it’s alright. There’s no need to rush. Nothing to be sorry about either. If you were good from the beginning, there would be no point in teaching.”

“R-right? Ahaha…….”

She laughs weakly.

Then, in the distance, the children rushed out of the gate in a group. It seemed the children who were learning writing from Jaegal Somi had finished their class.

“I-I’ll be going now, oppa!”

Bow, Wang Suyeon bowed her head.

After placing the wooden sword on the rack, she quickly mixes into the group of children with hurried steps.

“……”

Lee Byeok watched Wang Suyeon’s back as she left the main gate. It seemed Suyeon had her own frustrations.

Having a passion for the sword but her body not following… in a sense, her situation was not different from the current Lee Byeok.

Shwoook, tak!

Then, something flew in.

Lee Byeok simply snatched it without even turning his head. It was a brush with a sharp tip.

“What is the meaning of this, Senior Sister?”

“Meaning? Nothing. There’s nothing, I just threw it in the hopes that you would get hurt.”

“……”

“At least you should hurt as much as half of what Suyeon-i does. And you just catch it like that, you clueless oaf.”

Lee Byeok turned his gaze.

Jaegal Somi’s eyes were sharp. Sometimes she gets angry, but Lee Byeok couldn’t understand the reason.

In any case, he was now used to her flying dagger art through duels, so he wouldn’t be easily caught by such a surprise attack.

“Ugh, I’d rather die than suffer.”

Jaegal Somi who turns her head away.

“Ahaha, good work, Byeok-ah.”

And Hyuk Dae-woong approached. As if to mediate between them, he stood blocking Jaegal Somi and Lee Byeok.

Just standing side by side gave off a sense of pressure, but on his lips was a gentle smile as always.

“……”

10 battles, 5 wins, 5 losses.

That was his record with Hyuk Dae-woong.

Hyuk Dae-woong was strong. Despite having no inner arts, the strength that erupted from his innate physique was beyond common sense.

At first, Lee Byeok had the upper hand, but as they repeated their duels, Hyuk Dae-woong seemed to be broadening his understanding of Lee Byeok’s Azure River Sword Style.

Naturally, it became more and more difficult for the opponent.

It was a fresh shock for Lee Byeok, who had never been pushed back by someone of the same age.

“…It wasn’t particularly hard work.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Then let’s work hard together from now on!”

Tak, Hyuk Dae-woong’s large hand was placed on Lee Byeok’s shoulder. And he began to push with force.

Drag, drag.

“……”

“Let’s go, let’s go~ Let’s work~ Let’s make a living~”

As he said, it was time for labor.

Lee Byeok casually tossed the brush aside.

It was when the two of them stepped out of the main gate. A figure who had been leaning against the outside of the wall was startled.

“B-B-Byeok-i oppa! Wait a minute!”

It was Wang Suyeon.

“Huh? Suyeon-i? Did you forget something?”

“N-no. Dae-woong oppa, it’s not that. Um, well……”

“……”

Hesitantly, Wang Suyeon fidgeted with her fingers and trailed off. She squeezed her eyes shut and spits out the rest of her words.

“Byeok-i oppa! You know! Would you like to go look around the village with me?!”

“…What did you say?”

“No, I mean! Byeok-i oppa, it’s already been ten days since you came to our village! You still don’t know the villagers well!”

Wang Suyeon’s hands flailed more than necessary. In any case, Lee Byeok understood what she was trying to say.

So Lee Byeok answered.

“I have to work in the field right now.”

Taak!

Then, a shock was delivered to the back of Lee Byeok’s head. Jaegal Somi, who had approached at some point, had finally struck Lee Byeok with a brush.

“Go play with Suyeon-i.”

“I have to pull weeds.”

“Forget it and just go play.”

“But I also have to dig potatoes.”

“Go play, you potato head.”

* * *

Walking through the village with Lee Byeok, Wang Suyeon chattered ceaselessly.

Whose house and whose fields, whose chestnut tree, from cows and chickens to the dogs they raised.

Each and every scene that looked all the same to Lee Byeok seemed to be a different story for her.

But Lee Byeok had no suitable words to reply. Then Wang Suyeon, too, grew tired of her own accord and soon became quiet.

“Huh? Isn’t that the Wang family’s first child?”

“Ah, hello, grandfathers!”

Then, an elderly voice greeted them. Wang Suyeon bowed her head deeply.

When Lee Byeok turned his gaze, he saw two old men playing chess under the shade of a tree.

“Hehe, yes, yes. And you are… huh? Whose son were you? A kid I haven’t seen before?”

“Why, it’s Sect Leader Lee’s third child, the one he brought recently. Are you already senile?”

Bow.

Lee Byeok also bowed his head.

It was the old man he had first met ten days ago when he had just arrived in this village.

“Hehe, are you two going out to play by yourselves?”

“Hehe, yes!”

Grab, Wang Suyeon grabbed Lee Byeok’s arm as if she had been waiting. It was puzzling, but Lee Byeok didn’t bother to shake her off.

“Huh? Wait a minute. But then what about the village chief’s son? Weren’t the Wang family and they supposed to marry each other?”

“N-n-no!!”

Screech! Wang Suyeon screamed.

And she began to pull Lee Byeok’s arm. Being dragged away, Lee Byeok bowed his head to the old men again.

The village chief’s son… if so.

Lee Byeok thought of Jang Seok-du.

After losing the duel with Lee Byeok, that boy had not shown his face at the Falling Sword Sect even once.

Accepting defeat is difficult for anyone. But… was his hand too heavy?

“Hah, hah…….”

How far had they run like that?

Around the time the old men’s figures had become a dot in the distance, Wang Suyeon stopped in her tracks. She bent over and gasped for breath.

“…Are you alright?”

Jolt! She straightened her back.

“Oppa! Don’t misunderstand! I’m just childhood friends with Seok-du, we’re really not in any kind of relationship, okay?!”

“I see.”

“No, the adults are always like that! They just, they try to pair up the village kids if they’re around the same age……!”

A voice full of excitement.

But the moment she met Lee Byeok’s calm gaze, her words gradually trailed off. Haa, she sighed.

“…I don’t like that. I want to choose the person I’ll marry myself.”

An awkward silence hung.

Lee Byeok looked around.

By then, the village fence was visible in the distance. Since it was a small village, they had roughly made one full circle.

It’s about time to go back and work.

It was the moment Lee Byeok was about to open his mouth.

“…Wa-waterfall!!”

Wang Suyeon shouted urgently.

“O-oppa! Do you like waterfalls?!”

“…A waterfall?”

“You do, right?! Right? Oppa is a martial artist! You gain enlightenment while being hit by things like waterfalls, right?!”

Grab!

Wang Suyeon grabbed his arm again. While catching her breath, she somehow began to lead Lee Byeok.

The two left the fence as they were. Soon, the stream where they did dishes or laundry appeared.

Wang Suyeon began to climb the mountain, following the stream. Tat, tat, she didn’t rest her feet even while panting.

“……”

Following behind her, Lee Byeok saw the beads of sweat on Wang Suyeon’s neck. What on earth was making this little child so full of enthusiasm?

Swaaaaa!

They climbed the mountain path for about a quarter of an hour.

Suddenly, the sound of water began to be heard.

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