TRDS 09

Chapter 9 

Return of the Sword

Heoncheon’s provocation hit right at the pride of the martial artists—or rather, their pride as men.

‘How dare he call us cowards!’

‘Does he think we have no pride at all?’

Among them, Jeong Chugang, who had the quickest temper, was already stepping forward with an indignant look.

But before he could, a thick arm blocked his way.

“Chugang, calm yourself.”

“Brother Yeon…!”

Ignoring Jeong Chugang’s displeased voice, Yeon Doseung stepped forward.

“I’ll go first, Young Master. I humbly ask for your guidance.”

After giving a proper fist-and-palm salute, Yeon Doseung immediately closed the distance between himself and Heoncheon.

His stance was extremely aggressive, in stark contrast to his serious expression.

It was proof that even he had been provoked by Heoncheon’s words.

At the same time, his right fist shot toward Heoncheon’s left shoulder.

It looked like a real attack, but it was actually a feint. His true target was his left fist, which was hidden from view by his turning body.

Of course, Yeon Doseung did not expect Heoncheon to be fooled by such a simple trick.

‘He should see through this easily.’

With that in mind, Yeon Doseung had already planned the next technique he would use.

However, contrary to his expectations, Heoncheon did not dodge.

Instead, he met the attack with a palm strike of his own.

‘Damn!’

Yeon Doseung flinched at the sight, but it was already too late to withdraw his attack.

Just as their fist and palm were about to collide, Heoncheon suddenly twisted his wrist to the side and deflected Yeon Doseung’s attack.

That alone was impressive, but what happened next was even more astonishing.

Yeon Doseung’s fist was somehow redirected against his will, twisting around and coming back toward him from the direction it had come.

He had suddenly been made to attack himself.

There was no time to be confused. Yeon Doseung quickly raised his remaining left hand and blocked his incoming right fist.

However—

Thud!

“Urgh!”

The impact was even greater than the force he had originally put into his punch, forcing him several steps backward.

‘Was that Flower-Transplanting, or Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Jin?’

Both were famous techniques that turned an opponent’s own strength against them.

For a moment, Yeon Doseung wondered if Heoncheon had broken their agreement.

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

What Heoncheon had just used was the He Family Estate’s basic palm technique, Flowing Cloud Palm.

Even the amount of internal energy used was not much different from his own.

The problem was that although Heoncheon’s Flowing Cloud Palm had the same outward form, its substance was completely different from the version Yeon Doseung knew.

‘You can use Flowing Cloud Palm like this?’

Whether Yeon Doseung was shocked or not, Heoncheon continued unleashing one Flowing Cloud Palm technique after another without giving him a moment to breathe.

Just like before, every technique was something Yeon Doseung knew.

Yet all he could do was desperately dodge and block.

‘The techniques are changing far too quickly!’

It was more than just speed.

The order and combinations in which the techniques flowed into one another were completely different from the methods he had always known.

‘How can those techniques even connect like that?’

In a battle between martial artists, mastering powerful martial arts was important.

But what mattered even more was the battle of wits.

There was an enormous difference between anticipating an opponent’s next move and responding accordingly, and simply reacting after the move had already been made.

That was the fundamental difference between a master and a mediocre martial artist.

Indeed, no matter what technique Yeon Doseung used, Heoncheon always countered with the most optimal move.

At times, he would casually exploit openings Yeon Doseung himself had not even noticed.

Because of that, even though Yeon Doseung knew exactly which Flowing Cloud Palm techniques Heoncheon was going to use, countering them was incredibly difficult.

There was only one thing Yeon Doseung could not understand.

Even while completely overwhelming him, Heoncheon never once delivered a decisive blow.

‘Why? If he wanted to finish this, he could have done so long ago.’

It felt as though Heoncheon was deliberately dragging things out.

‘Could it be that he’s playing with me?’

Anger suddenly welled up inside him.

He had suspected Heoncheon, but even so, this felt like too much.

It was no different from a well-fed cat refusing to eat the mouse it had caught and instead playing with it like a toy.

It was deeply humiliating.

But before long, Yeon Doseung realized that he had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

[Your circulation of internal energy is too slow compared to the speed of your techniques. Try doing it faster.]

Heoncheon’s voice suddenly reached him through telepathic transmission in the middle of their exchange.

Yeon Doseung stared at him in surprise, but Heoncheon continued attacking with a completely calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

After exchanging several more moves, Heoncheon’s voice came again.

[Now you’re moving too quickly. Focus on reducing the gap between the speed of your internal energy circulation and your techniques as much as possible.]

‘Reduce the gap between the speed of my internal energy and my techniques?’

He had no idea what Heoncheon meant, but he decided to follow the instruction anyway.

Then Yeon Doseung’s eyes widened as if they were about to split apart.

‘Ah!’

Recently, whenever Yeon Doseung performed his techniques, he had felt that his internal energy was not flowing smoothly.

Thinking that he might simply lack enough internal energy, he had devoted himself to cultivating his inner power day and night, sweating more than anyone else in the training ground.

Yet he had made no meaningful progress.

He had vaguely assumed that he had hit the limit of his talent and had been secretly discouraged.

But who would have thought that simply following Heoncheon’s instructions would immediately solve the problem?

‘Yes! What I was lacking wasn’t the amount of qi, but proper control over the acceleration and deceleration of its circulation!’

It was something he had overlooked because there had been no one around capable of properly teaching him.

And with that realization came a change.

Bang!

The instant Yeon Doseung unconsciously threw a right punch and his fist cut through the air, an explosive crack rang out.

The He Family martial artists watching were startled.

“That’s…!”

“Fist Force?”

Beyond simply using internal energy to increase the power or speed of a technique, attacking an opponent directly with internal energy itself—

That was what was commonly known as Force.

And when that force was unleashed through the fist, it was called Fist Force.

Its appearance meant that Yeon Doseung had finally reached the First-Class Realm, the realm he had desperately longed for.

Yeon Doseung remained frozen in the exact position of his punch, staring blankly ahead.

Then, suddenly, he turned toward Heoncheon.

“Young Master, what in the world is this…?”

“How is it? Do you understand something now?”

To those watching, it was an out-of-the-blue question.

But Yeon Doseung understood immediately.

He fell prostrate right there, then respectfully gave Heoncheon a fist-and-palm salute.

“I have received an enormous favor from you. Thank you, Young Master!”

“This is only the beginning. Don’t become arrogant. Continue to improve yourself from now on.”

“Yes! I, Yeon Doseung, will never forget your golden words, Young Master!”

Unlike his previous attitude, which had been merely dutiful, Yeon Doseung now showed genuine respect for Heoncheon.

Only then did the others realize that Yeon Doseung had broken through to the First-Class Realm thanks to Heoncheon.

“All right, then. Who should I spar with next?”

Heoncheon smiled as he looked at the other He Family martial artists.

Then—

Thump!

Without waiting for anyone to go first, every single one of them raised their hands at once.

What had started as a sparring session that everyone thought was merely meant to establish discipline had taken on a completely different meaning.

Now that they understood its true purpose was to strengthen the He Family’s overall power, the way they looked at Heoncheon had changed completely.

Of course, that did not mean Heoncheon simply taught them kindly.

Compared to Yeon Doseung, the others were so poor that he pushed them far harder.

“Reckless attacks only invite painful counterattacks.”

Thud!

“Is that supposed to be a defense? You’d be better off just saying you want to get hit.”

Crack!

“Do you keep that head on your shoulders just for decoration? Please think before you move.”

Bang!

“I see you don’t know why our family’s Nine Palaces Steps are called the Nine Palaces Steps. Stay behind after this and practice your footwork for two hours.”

Wham!

By this point, they were suffering more from the blows to their pride than from the pain of being hit.

After finishing his sparring sessions with all thirty martial artists, Heoncheon stood there looking remarkably clean, without even a drop of sweat, and spoke.

“All right, everyone. Good work. I’m not sure whether this was enough to clear up your doubts about me, though.”

“More than enough!”

“We believe in you completely, Young Master!”

At Heoncheon’s question, the He Family martial artists, drenched in sweat, desperately shook their heads and shouted.

They knew all too well that if they admitted to still having doubts, the “fact-based beatings” disguised as sparring would immediately begin all over again.

Of course, they were also genuinely impressed by Heoncheon’s martial prowess.

Seeing their reactions, Heoncheon chuckled.

‘These brats finally look respectable.’

As expected, people listened once you put them through the wringer.

Still, if he pushed them this hard and then simply walked away without giving them anything, he had no idea what kind of complaints he would hear behind his back.

“All right. Since everyone worked so hard, how about we have a small dinner together to celebrate?”

“A dinner together?”

“Yeah. Hey, Chief Steward Lim, go to the kitchen and bring those things over.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Lim Ho-pil, who had apparently been watching from outside the training ground, immediately ran to the kitchen without a word of complaint.

A short while later, the maids arrived carrying large plates piled high with the old-fashioned whole fried chicken Heoncheon had made.

Soon after, Lim Ho-pil arrived with an entire large iron cauldron of oil, still bubbling fiercely, and set it down right in the training ground.

Heoncheon tossed the cooled old-fashioned whole chickens into it one after another.

Sizzle—

Since they had already been fried once, frying them again in the hot oil and taking them out made the coating darker, crispier, and even more appetizing.

“All right, there’s plenty, so eat as much as you want. At least one chicken per person.”

When it came to chicken, one whole chicken per person was the rule.

The martial artists were fascinated by the unfamiliar food for a moment.

Then they took a single bite.

Yeon Doseung and the other He Family martial artists were all stunned.

‘How can fried chicken taste this good…?’

‘This texture is insane!’

It was already close to dinner, and they had just worked up a tremendous sweat.

Like starving creatures from hell, they began devouring the old-fashioned whole chickens.

When alcohol was brought out as well, the gathering quickly turned into a full-blown drinking party.

Heoncheon quietly watched them from behind.

‘I was worried about how I was going to finish all of that by myself. Good thing.’

He was happy because none of the perfectly good food went to waste, while the He Family martial artists got to enjoy as much delicious food as they wanted.

It was a true win-win situation.

After watching them for a while, Heoncheon quietly slipped away.

After all, when a superior stays around at a company dinner, they are bound to be accused of having no sense of the atmosphere.

Once he stepped outside the training ground, Lim Ho-pil approached him.

“You worked hard, Young Master.”

“Ah, Chief Steward. Since it’s just the two of us, you can call me the way you used to. It feels awkward otherwise.”

“No. Even if we should distinguish between public and private matters, you will be the one taking over the He Family in the future. We should start treating you accordingly from now on.”

“Really? Well, if that’s the case, then fine. Do as you please.”

“Yes. But, Young Master, if I may ask an impertinent question, why did you go this far?”

“Why did I go this far?”

“Yes. Young Master, you are a master far beyond anything those men could even imagine. If that is the case, there was no need to go through all this trouble. You could simply have crushed them with your strength.”

At Lim Ho-pil’s question, Heoncheon stared at him for a moment.

‘Chief Steward Lim isn’t stupid…’

Lim Ho-pil had served as the He Family’s chief steward for several decades.

Anyone capable of managing a noble family for that long would naturally possess greater insight and judgment than an ordinary person, not less.

Yet here he was, asking such a simple question.

Thinking that there had to be a reason behind it, Heoncheon pretended not to know and answered.

“Well, simply overpowering them would certainly have been the easiest way. But if I did that, wouldn’t all they do be submit to me?”

“Wouldn’t that be enough?”

“Not at all. What I ultimately want is their hearts.”

“Their hearts?”

“Exactly. Chief Steward Lim, what do you think a martial artist wants most?”

“A secret manual, spiritual medicine, or perhaps some extraordinary treasure?”

“No. Those things are all secondary.”

“Then what do they want?”

“What a martial artist desires most is hope—the hope that the person they will become in the future can grow stronger than the person they are today.”

“The hope of becoming stronger. Now that you put it that way, it certainly makes sense.”

Secret manuals and spiritual medicines were all merely means to become stronger. They were never the true goal themselves.

“So that’s why you sparred with them?”

“To plant the hope in them that they can become stronger.”

“To win their hearts?”

Heoncheon nodded.

“I actually succeeded in winning one person’s heart today, didn’t I?”

“You mean Martial Artist Yeon.”

Thanks to Heoncheon, Yeon Doseung had broken through the barrier to the First-Class Realm.

It was obvious that he would be fiercely loyal to Heoncheon from now on.

“If I turn them into my people one by one, that’s when the real beginning comes.”

“What do you mean?”

When Lim Ho-pil asked with a completely bewildered expression, Heoncheon chuckled.

“Chief Steward Lim, why have you been pretending to be a fool this whole time when it doesn’t suit you? You noticed from the very beginning, didn’t you? You already knew what my real goal was.”

Lim Ho-pil grinned.

“Oh, dear. To think I was found out this easily. I suppose my acting was not very convincing.”

Just as Heoncheon had said, Lim Ho-pil had understood from the very beginning why Heoncheon was doing all this.

Even so, he had continued asking questions and pretending not to know because he wanted to hear directly what Heoncheon was thinking.

“Young Master, may I ask you one last question?”

“Go ahead.”

“How far are you planning to take this?”

Lim Ho-pil asked with a serious expression.

Heoncheon shrugged.

“Well, I don’t necessarily have my sights set on becoming the number one in all of Zhejiang…”

He paused and met Lim Ho-pil’s eyes.

Then he grinned and finished his sentence.

“At the very least, shouldn’t I become the best in Hangzhou?”