Chapter 245: Bloodshed Follows an Uninvited Guest (2)

Upon entering Sichuan Province, Jin Mu-Won got rid of the carriage and started walking. Despite his youth, Yu Geon-Yeop was not exempt.

Jin Mu-Won took off his shoes and told Yu Geon-Yeop to do the same. Yu Geon-Yeop obeyed without a word.

The two of them walked the road barefoot. Sharp stones jabbed their feet and pointed branches cut their skin.

Yu Geon-Yeop’s feet stung and ached, but he never once cried out. Likewise, Jin Mu-Won did not soothe or comfort him. He simply stared ahead and trudged on in silence.

Yu Geon-Yeop gritted his teeth and followed closely, determined not to fall behind.

The scorching sun cooked the earth. Searing heat rose from the ground through their feet and into their bodies.

Soon, Yu Geon-Yeop was drenched in sweat, and his face and skin were flushed red. Even then, he never complained about the hardship.

After a full day of walking, he was drained. Thankfylly, their forced march ended around sunset.

Jin Mu-Won found a spot beside a small stream and started a fire. Yu Geon-Yeop passed out the moment he finished his simple meal of dry rations.

“You must be tired,” Jin Mu-Won said, patting the boy’s head. He knew a positive change had taken root in Yu Geon-Yeop during his time with Ah-So and the Demon Slaying Army.

He began to massage Yu Geon-Yeop’s bare feet, which were caked with dirt and covered in cuts. However, he paid them no mind and focused on the massage.

“The feet bear the weight of every part of the human body. The Yongquan acupoint, in particular, is one of the most important acupoints.”

Most martial artists did not know how important the Yongquan acupoint was, and Jin Mu-Won had been no different at first. As his martial skills improved, however, he came to understand exactly how crucial it was.

“Martial artists circulate their energy to accumulate inner qi. The entire process of taking deep breaths and absorbing nature’s energy has to be performed for years at the very least, before anything worth calling inner qi accumulates.”

The time investment was enormous, yet the results were minuscule.

This was where the gap between prestigious sects and the masses lay. Prestigious sects possessed cultivation methods that allowed their members to accumulate inner qi efficiently. For the same amount of time invested, they could store far more qi in their bodies.

Conversely, ordinary sects lacked proper techniques, so they amassed qi at a far slower pace. Perfecting a proper method took long years and tremendous effort. Regardless, in the murim, keeping a sect alive that long was as hard as plucking a star out of the sky.

Despite the vast difference in efficiency, however, the qi cultivation methods of prestigious sects and the rest shared one thing in common. Both accumulated energy through controlled breathing.

The basic principle of Shadow Qi, which Jin Mu-Won had learned, was the same. Shadow Qi was a peerless cultivation method that was so difficult to learn even a prodigy would struggle to comprehend it.

Beyond power and discretion, though, Jin Mu-Won’s growing mastery of Shadow Qi did bring some other benefits. For one, he gained a profound understanding of the human body and its acupoints. Recently, he discovered that it was possible to accumulate inner qi through the Yongquan acupoint.

There existed a concept that humans dwelled between Heaven and Earth. This concept spawned the idea of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, and that humans breathed to accept the energy of the heavens. Martial artists theorized that the inner qi they accumulated this way would allow them to break free of their mortal constraints.

Similarly, energy was also present in the earth. The earth’s energy made trees grow, grass sprout, and grain ripen. Most people lived their entire lives without ever being aware of it.

Jin Mu-Won believed that humans had sealed off that possibility themselves. At some point, they started wearing shoes to protect their feet. As a result, they lost the ability to feel the energy of the land.

As a result, the all-important Yongquan acupoint lost its function and gradually atrophied, and the ability to feel and accept Earth Qi withered along with it.

Recently, however, Jin Mu-Won had begun to think that accepting and accumulating Earth Qi in a stable form might be possible.

When one will reached the pinnacle, it connected to the wills of every living thing. That was Jin Mu-Won’s present state. As his Shadow Qi reached the pinnacle, the paths to every other pinnacle came into view.

“First, I must open Geon-Yeop’s Yongquan acupoint.”

Once it was opened, the boy would naturally begin accepting Earth Qi.

Earth Qi was pure, gentle, and stable. More importantly, it influenced a person’s disposition. Since Yu Geon-Yeop had been born with a strong killing intent, Jin Mu-Won believed that Earth Qi would help him control it.

“Being born with killing intent isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A man who can control his own killing intent can turn it into a great asset.”

He carefully massaged the boy’s feet, using his inner qi to stimulate the Yongquan acupoint. The entire process was tedious and consumed a tremendous amount of inner qi, yet he never showed any signs of displeasure.

Some might have called it a useless endeavor, but Jin Mu-Won did not. In fact, he gained more from delving into martial arts for Yu Geon-Yeop’s sake than he invested.

The reason was simple. To teach a boy with no foundation whatsoever, he had to revisit the basics himself. Whether it was breathing, walking, seeing, hearing, or moving, he had to start from the ground up.

During this process, he reexamined everything about himself, reflecting on each aspect thoroughly. Such introspection illuminated his shortcomings and neglected areas.

Truthfully, I’m creating a new martial art as much for Geon-Yeop’s sake as for my own.

Many hours passed before Jin Mu-Won took his hands from Yu Geon-Yeop’s feet. He covered the boy with a blanket, then sank into his mental world.

A single sword floated there.

Today, as always, Jin Mu-Won spoke to it.

“Snow Flower.”

After fifteen days of walking barefoot, Jin Mu-Won and Yu Geon-Yeop arrived in the western highlands of Sichuan.

“Huff, huff!” Yu Geon-Yeop gasped for breath as he stared at the wall of mountains before him. Giant peaks stood in a row like a folding screen, stunning him with their sheer majesty. “This place is...”

“Our destination. Let’s go up.”

“Yes!”

Yu Geon-Yeop began walking again, his steps heavy with effort.

Over the last few days, his skin had tanned, and calluses had formed on the soles of his feet. His once-frail legs had even begun to build muscle.

Even so, walking was difficult because just as he was getting used to it, Jin Mu-Won had him practice a strange breathing technique.

According to the man, this method allowed one to feel Earth Qi through the soles of the feet and gather that energy into the body. It defied every principle of normal breathing, and he simply could not get used to it.

Still, Yu Geon-Yeop gritted his teeth and did his best to follow what he was taught.

Teaching and learning, learning and being spurred on. That summed up the nature of their relationship.

Although Jin Mu-Won never called Yu Geon-Yeop his disciple, he thought of the boy as a successor. Yu Geon-Yeop never used the word ‘Master’, yet he considered Jin Mu-Won his one and only mentor.

And so, their bond strengthened day by day.

They reached the new Northern Army Fortress three days after beginning their climb.

Jin Mu-Won could have used his movement arts to carry the boy up, but he was determined to have Yu Geon-Yeop climb on his own. Yu Geon-Yeop lived up to the expectation, climbing the entire mountain with his own strength, without help from anyone.

The moment they reached the basin at the summit, Yu Geon-Yeop’s eyes widened. The fortress spread out below him was majestic and overwhelming.

“What is this place?”

“The Northern Army Fortress.”

Yu Geon-Yeop stared blankly at the structure. There were no grand pavilions or high walls. Nevertheless, he could sense an inexplicable pressure and a solid, stubborn atmosphere hanging over everything. “The Northern... Army.”

“This is where you’ll be staying from now on.” Jin Mu-Won patted his head and started walking.

Yu Geon-Yeop stood there blankly for a moment longer before coming to his senses and hurrying after him.

BOOM!

The closer they got, the more intense the vibrations became. Since Yu Geon-Yeop was barefoot, he felt the tremors even more acutely.

“CHYAHAT!”

Hundreds of martial artists were doing drills on a stone-paved training ground. With each stomp, dust billowed up, and the ground quaked.

They moved as though they were a single body. Their powerful punches made the air shimmer, and their stomps struck the eardrums like thunder. Beads of sweat flew through the air, and the stone floor beneath them was dented and gouged.

Jin Mu-Won walked among them, but not one of them stopped training. Rather, they greeted him with their eyes, welcoming him, and Jin Mu-Won met every gaze in turn.

News of his arrival quickly reached the upper management. Ha Jin-Wol was the first to come running.

“You’ve returned safely. I heard you handled the matter at the Ironblood Fortress well.”

“I only did as you taught me, Strategist.”

“It was a poor strategy that would have amounted to nothing if you hadn’t subdued Jae Hyuk-Shim yourself, my Lord. It’s all thanks to you.”

Since deciding to serve Jin Mu-Won, Ha Jin-Wol had never once spoken down to him, always treating him with the utmost respect. Jin Mu-Won had found it awkward at first, but after three years, he had grown quite used to it.

Ha Jin-Wol’s gaze turned to Yu Geon-Yeop. “Who is this?”

“I brought him with me due to some unforeseen circumstances.”

“Is he your disciple?”

“I’m thinking of teaching him for now.”

“Congratulations! I just took on a disciple myself, so the kids should be able to relate.”

“You took a disciple? Who?”

“The child I mentioned before.”

“Ah, Han Seon-Woo, was it? You said he was very talented.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.”

Ha Jin-Wol smiled and gestured behind him. Han Seon-Woo hurried over at the signal.

“Pay your respects. This is the Lord of the Northern Army.”

“Greetings, my Lord. My name is Han Seon-Woo.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ll be in your care, Little Strategist.”

“!” Han Seon-Woo blushed with embarrassment, not knowing how to respond.

Jin Mu-Won introduced the boy standing beside him. “This child’s name is Yu Geon-Yeop. It’s his first day here, so everything will be unfamiliar to him. Could you show him around the Northern Army Fortress?”

“Yes, of course!” Han Seon-Woo answered enthusiastically and took Yu Geon-Yeop’s hand. “Let’s go. This hyung will show you around.”

Yu Geon-Yeop nodded quietly and followed him.

Jin Mu-Won and Ha Jin-Wol watched the two boys walk off together fondly.

Once they were out of sight, Jin Mu-Won asked, “Where are the others?”

“They’re gathered in the meeting hall. Everyone has been eagerly awaiting your return, my Lord.”

“I’ll head there now.”

“Yes.”

The two of them went straight to the meeting hall, which was located near the training ground.

Upon entering, they found Seo Mu-Sang, Ma Do-Gwang, Kyung Mu-Saeng, Kwak Moon-Jung, Hwang Cheol, and Tang Gi-Mun already seated and waiting.

Everyone rose to their feet as Jin Mu-Won entered.

“My Lord.”

“You’ve returned safely.”

Jin Mu-Won returned their greeting with clasped hands. “Thanks to all of you, I have.”

“We heard that you successfully subjugated the Ironblood Fortress. Congratulations, my Lord.”

“It’s thanks to all of you. Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

Only then did everyone settle into their designated seats.

Deep emotion surfaced on their faces as they gazed at Jin Mu-Won. After a long and winding journey, everyone had finally gathered in one place.

Under the name of the Northern Army.