769 – 9. Not a single day goes by without this (18)
‘The Tomb of the Sword’.
As evidenced by the old woman’s explanation that countless practitioners had broken their swords, there were slash-like sword marks left on this high cliff. This was an amazing achievement considering the fact that the material that makes up this cliff is ‘Cheongeomam (天劍巖)’.
A mysterious rock that suppresses magical power.
‘Cheongeomam’ was not only excellent in weight but also in strength. Even with decent knife skills, it was normal to not even be able to make a scratch. Nevertheless, there are so many sword images engraved on it.
I felt like I was finally witnessing the power of the ‘sword circle’ that has existed for thousands of years.
However, even in all of history, there is one landscape that is by far the most overwhelming.
The cliff was cracked.
The great master was referred to as ‘that man,’ but as soon as I saw his distant sword skills, I realized it. The master of this pure and amazing slash.
“How about you try swinging the sword as a test?”
This was something I heard while staring blankly at the cliff.
The epicenter was obvious. Because there were only two people standing here, far beyond the halfway point of Cheongeomsan Mountain.
When I turned my head, there was an old woman with deep-set eyes standing there.
‘Great Master’.
He was an opponent whose skills were difficult to estimate. However, my intuition tells me that even I am a talented person with whom it is difficult to guarantee a win.
My eyes glanced towards the cliff. There, unlike other sword marks, there remained a deep wound.
It was a record left by the old woman in front of me.
Can I do this much?
I thoughtlessly fiddled with the sword handle, but it didn’t take long before I came to a conclusion.
A bitter smile appears on my lips.
“It’s done. “I have somewhere to go.”
“hehehe, pride… ….”
“Please look. “It hasn’t been long since I became a ‘master.'”
Instead of answering, the great instructor shook his head. Eventually, I took a gliding step, and the eyes of the old woman standing next to me were directed to the crack in the cliff.
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A sword image probably left behind by a ‘sword master.’
“You resemble that man in many ways.”
“Me? It doesn’t seem like that at all…….”
“Do you like swords?”
I kept my mouth shut at those words. Do you like swords? It was a weapon that was with you all your life, whether you liked it or not. Is there any warrior who would say that he hates his beloved bottle that he is so attached to that he is sick of it?
That was the reason why I opened my mouth right away.
“Of course… ….”
“Then forget about useless things.”
The old woman’s eyes turned to me again. The smile on his face was beyond benevolent.
It reminds me of a grandmother I have never seen.
“That is the first precept to be learned at Heavenly Sword Mountain… hehehe, I never thought I’d say this again.”
At the same time, the great master slowly closed his eyelids. The voice of a woman looking back on the past is soothing.
“Are you sure you are that man’s disciple?”
It gives off such a meaningful atmosphere.
So I decided to move on without saying anything, so I decided to raise a question that had been on my mind from the beginning.
“I guess they were close friends. With the old swordsman.”
There was a short silence. I could sense the conversation that would follow around this time.
With the answer of yes, stories of memories from long ago will come and go for a while. What was the swordsman like back then, and what was I like?
This was a common development seen during conversations with seniors. At that moment, I was wondering what I should agree to.
“No, it was the worst.”
“…… Yes?”
A crack appeared between my eyebrows at the unexpected answer. No, the atmosphere was not like that at all.
But there was no way I could add a counterargument.
“If I see progress in my swordsmanship, I’ll tell you a little about it… “I’ve never met someone like that in my life.”
“But, Mr. Geomgong was an old friend… ….”
“Where are you planning to go? “I guess you’re already familiar with the geography of Heavenly Sword Mountain?”
Although the tone was kind, the true meaning behind the question was clear.
It means that I have no intention of telling you yet.
This made me curious again. It was rare for people to meet the swordsman in his youth. However, he also said that he would tell me if he saw any improvement in his swordsmanship anyway.
Since it was true that I had somewhere to go, I decided not to say anything.
“…… “I want to go to the ‘Pond of Forgetting.'”
“Aha, I’m going to meet Master Gong.”
Apparently, my junior’s evening schedule seemed to be quite popular at Cheongeomsan Mountain. Following Mu (無) instructor, even Daesababeom was to the point where I immediately thought of Seria just by looking at the destination.
Is it natural since he is one of only three instructors?
When I cleared my throat sheepishly instead of denying it, the Great Master burst into laughter as if it was fun.
“Do you know what kind of place the ‘Pond of Forgetting’ is?”
“Isn’t this a place to meditate?”
“hahahahaha! “That’s almost correct.”
Then that means it is a wrong answer.
Well, if it has a separate name, ‘Pond of Forgetting,’ it must be a place with some significance. Ceria probably didn’t want to meditate anywhere.
The great master did not hesitate. Soon I was able to hear further explanation.
“To come to Heavenly Sword Mountain, you have to give up everything in this world… The same goes for things. However, there is bound to be one item that is so precious that it cannot be thrown away.”
‘Pond of Forgetting’ is a place to throw away such items.
When you reach the point of enlightenment, awaken to ‘true nature’, and finally decide to let go of all ties in the world.
Another memory sleeps at the bottom of the pond.
After explaining the inside story, the old woman added another word.
“The items that Master Gong kept until the end must also be sunk there.”
It was a story that left an unpleasant aftertaste.
*
As I came down to the halfway point, the sun had completely set. There was a quiet scene in the mountains where even the sunset had disappeared.
I walked using the sound of insects as a guide. Although I only stopped by once, the memory was vivid. Even the footsteps of the woman I walked with.
The road ends at the pond.
The sky was clear with no wind blowing. The light from the stars and moon touched the surface of the water, but then spread out like a thick fog.
The center of the landscape painting.
Gray hair resembling moonlight caught my eye. The woman had her eyes closed, leaning against a tree and meditating.
So I had no choice but to stop for a moment.
First of all, I came as Master Mu said, but what should I do after that?
It was impossible to deliberately wake up a woman who had sunk deeply into her inner world. However, to sit next to her and meditate, it seemed like Ceria would be startled when she opened her eyes.
It was a time when I was immersed in such useless worries.
“…… Sit.”
A low voice falls on my eardrums like water droplets. Then my body trembled like a pond with dew on it.
It was because I didn’t know that Seria was conscious.
While I was panicking, the woman’s calm tone continued.
“Aren’t you here to practice meditation?”
“Yeah, that’s right, right?”
“Then you should hurry.”
Seria said a provocative line to me, who strangely trailed off her words.
“There isn’t much left in the promised week, right?”
As soon as she heard that, she couldn’t help but swallow a laugh. Speaking of the ‘one week’ we promised, it would be the conversation we had when we just entered Heavenly Sword Mountain and started training.
During her basic training, did she say that she would surpass the record set by Seria?
There were about two days left until the end, but she couldn’t let down her guard. Because mental problems sometimes need to be solved with more esoteric solutions than physical problems.
In fact, that was part of the purpose of coming here.
I decided to confidently respond to Seria’s provocation.
“Don’t worry, it will be over in a few days.”
“It makes me wonder about the source of her confidence.”
“You already defeated an instructor in Dalian, right?”
Shocked, I thought.
A slight crack appeared in Seria’s complexion, which had maintained her expressionless expression. She felt slightly annoyed and humiliated. Even if she was someone else, there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed.
In the past, Seria rarely expressed emotions like this.
Of course, if Seria heard it now, she might find it disgusting and disgusted.
Without her saying a word, I moved on and headed to her side.
“As an instructor, it was a sparring for guidance.”
“You must be young.”
And then he flopped down and sat down.
The meditation method itself had been taught by Seria before. Even if Jaehyun makes a little mistake, it will be okay because she has an experienced instructor by her side.
However, what should I say?
I thought the opportunity to sit alone and talk like this was very precious.
“Seria.”
“This is Master Gong.”
“You actually hated it when I called you Master Gong.”
“…… No!”
At her playful question, Seria was immediately caught up like a fish caught on a fishing hook.
“At that time, it was just…… ! “I’m a little confused.”
“What are you confused about?”
Silence again.
Seria, who was glaring at me with displeasure with her mouth tightly shut, soon turned her head away.
“…… “It’s probably because of lack of training.”
You’re upset.
I couldn’t hide my flushed cheeks even if I kept my words to myself. It seemed like he hit the nail on the head too much.
Now that I think about it, it seems like the cute junior I used to know is still there.
My gaze moved to the calm surface of the water as I let go of my pointless thoughts with a smile.
It was a scene that suddenly reminded me of Daesabum’s words.
“Master Gong.”
“Not Master Gong, but Seri…” … ! No, that’s not it… Ha, yes.”
I’m starting to get confused because they’re teasing me so much.
Seria, who single-handedly established dark history, let out a faint sigh, and left her short answer with a desperate look on her face.
Still, I was glad that I still had the will to talk.
“I heard it.”
“What?”
“Traditions related to this pond.”
Around that time, the woman suffered from aphasia again. Maybe she didn’t want to answer, or maybe she didn’t know I would bring up this topic.
So my question became more crude.
“What did you throw?”
My junior was silent for a long time.
Then there was no word, then there was no word.
“…… Well.”
The one word I managed to utter was an ambiguous denial.
“Don’t you want to find it again?”
“Well, okay.”
“Shall we look for it?”
Our eyes finally met in the air. The blue eyes resembled stars as always.
Without even knowing each other’s true feelings, it’s been a while since we trace each person in each other’s pupils.
Ceria slightly turned her head.
“It’s impossible.”
“And what if I find it?”
“If so… ….”
Ceria thought for a bit, but then shook her head with a bitter smile on her face.
“Call it whatever you want. After that.”
“It’s okay if I’m not a ball instructor?”
“Yes, whatever you want to call it…” “I won’t be able to find it anyway.”
The tone was so decisive that the desire to win boiled over in an instant. What if I find it like this?
But today was not the time to decide the winner or loser.
“Do you remember the meditation method I told you about before?”
“…… “Roughly?”
Actually, I had a separate purpose for coming here.
During my last ‘meditation’, I was able to look into ‘my’ memories from the future. Even though there are few ways to peep into his past, which now remains like a reverberation.
The reason I wanted to look back on his memories was simple.
Because the strongest swordsman from the ‘Sword Circle’, who does not exist in this era, is there.
I soon followed Seria’s guidance and repeated her breathing method.
Immediately after that.
“…… Sepia flowers.”
As I walk away, my vision becomes blurred. My head hurt. I feel dizzy and feel like I might collapse at any moment, and it hits my brain like a downpour.
An unclear scene flashed across my retinas that made me want to scream.
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A forest in a snowy field.
Hair resembling moonlight.
“Please find Sepia.”
With a stuttering voice, the blue eyes left me.
Finally, a dark battle.
It was dark.