Chapter – 68
“Drinking is goo— pff!”
“Oh my.”
A stranger’s sleeve danced across Yeon Baek-rim’s face, wiping away the wine that had splashed onto him.
“Are you all right?”
“……”
Baek-rim quietly wiped the remaining wine from the corner of his mouth with his hand, his gaze fixed on the uninvited guest sitting across from him.
“And who might you be?”
The youth sitting opposite bowed deeply.
“Hello. My name is Kang Yu… S-sorry. I really didn’t mean to startle you…”
Baek-rim gave him a brief once-over before refilling his cup.
Kang Yu also used the chance to observe the man more closely. Up close, he looked even more outstanding than before—easily the most handsome man he had ever seen outside the village.
There was nothing frivolous in his posture or movements. Every gesture carried composure and refined discipline. Of all the people he had met since leaving Jangbaek Valley, this man was the most “manly” man. In a good way, he even felt a little bit like the old grandfather Jinwha had spoken of so often.
‘As expected…’
Just as he had seen and heard at the clearing earlier, the man before him was definitely a formidable master—one worthy of all the praise other masters lavished upon him.
Baek-rim, having emptied his cup, finally spoke.
“What is it you want?”
A nervous waiter hurried over and placed a pair of chopsticks and a bowl in front of Kang Yu.
“Thank you.”
Kang Yu bowed to the waiter as well, then answered Baek-rim’s question.
“I know this is terribly rude, but… I was wondering if I could greet you for a moment, Lord Sky-Azure Divine Dragon.”
“Sky-Azure Divine Dragon?”
“The people watching earlier were calling you that. Did I… misunderstand?”
Baek-rim silently emptied another cup.
“What business do you have with me?”
“Thank you! If you don’t mind, there’s something I’d like to ask…”
He seemed to take Baek-rim’s lack of refusal as permission and soon began explaining his troubles.
“Well, I recently found a new attack technique. Ah—it’s probably nothing special for someone like you, of course. But for me, it’s really powerful when it lands. The problem is, when I try to use it, I can hardly concentrate. And even when I manage to, the execution is terribly slow. And if it misses, my strength gets completely drained. So every day I keep wondering what to do, and then this and that and blah blah…”
His long explanation trickled to an awkward halt.
“I thought… maybe someone of your level—someone other masters praise so much—might know a solution.”
Baek-rim quietly listened, then refilled his cup. Despite the situation—one that could easily be considered highly disrespectful—his tone remained calm.
“I do not pass on martial arts or enlightenment to others. Seek another way.”
Kang Yu’s shoulders drooped immediately.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I was just desperate… I didn’t mean to be rude…”
“It is not that I find it troublesome or disagreeable. Enlightenment is a living thing. It approaches each person differently. My enlightenment is not your learning. Only by finding your own path will you discover a method that is truly yours.”
A soft murmur of admiration spread through the tavern.
The words themselves held profound meaning, but even more impressive was that a renowned master would take the time to answer a stranger’s sudden and random question so sincerely.
“As expected of the Sun-Moon Divine Sword. I would’ve just ignored him.”
“No wonder he’s called the future of the White Path. Truly a chivalrous hero.”
Kang Yu repeated the words to himself.
“Another’s learning is not my enlightenment… another’s learning…”
Now that he thought about it, the smartest elder back in his village had said something similar:
—In Buddhist lore, they say that in the tale of the Three Beasts Crossing the River, the rabbit swims across the surface, the horse floats through the middle depths, and the elephant walks across the riverbed. The truth is like this as well—ever-changing depending on one’s nature. It cannot be found by leaning on another. When your thoughts deepen, remember this. A boat with too many boatmen always ends up in the mountains.
Kang Yu engraved Baek-rim’s and Elder Hak’s words deep in his heart.
In the end, he had to find his own path to mastering the Heaven-Earth Tiger.
But simply having a direction already made his mind feel clearer.
Until moments ago, he had been so impatient that he was ready to ask anyone and everyone.
But the wisest man in his village and the Sky-Azure Divine Dragon himself disagreed with that approach.
However long it takes—slowly.
However difficult—on one’s own.
A faint light of realization rose in Kang Yu’s eyes. He stood and bowed deeply.
“Thank you. You’ve helped me so much.”
Baek-rim silently finished his drink.
After leaving the tavern, Baek-rim headed down the small path outside the city walls.
It was a good day.
He walked leisurely, enjoying the scent of grass, when—
“Lord Divine Dragon!”
A youthful voice called out from behind him.
He turned and saw the same boy from the tavern.
Baek-rim looked away and continued walking. The boy quickly caught up.
“What is it now?”
The boy bowed once more.
“I just wanted to thank you again. Saying it with words didn’t feel like enough…”
He carefully held out a small bundle.
“This is…”
Inside were a few sweets and three silver coins.
Baek-rim looked at him quietly, then held out his hand.
“Thank you.”
Kang Yu brightened.
“And, um… if it’s not too rude, I have one more tiny request…”
Baek-rim began walking again.
“It is indeed exceedingly rude.”
“I’ll compensate you well!”
He stopped and sighed.
“Speak.”
Kang Yu’s face lit up.
“Well, I was wondering… could you maybe spar with me once? I feel like I could unleash my Heaven-Earth Tiger properly if it’s against someone of your level…”
Baek-rim’s eyes swept him sharply.
“No.”
Kang Yu froze.
“Eh? Why not?”
“I have neither time nor interest to humor children’s games. And I already told you: enlightenment must be found on your own.”
“I-I wasn’t asking you to teach me though…”
“My apologies.”
Baek-rim bowed politely and resumed walking.
“A-ah…”
Kang Yu stood there, staring wistfully after him.
Then—
“Well, well. Look who it is. Fancy meeting you here.”
A harsh voice came from the brush along the narrow path.
Pushing aside the tall grass, a large man stepped out.
It was the same man—Gwan Cheol-woo—who had caused a ruckus at the clearing earlier.
But something was different now.
Behind him emerged five more burly men, all similar in size and appearance.
With meaningful smiles, they circled around Baek-rim.
Gwan Cheol-woo approached confidently, as if he had never knelt and begged for mercy earlier.
“Ohh. Didn’t expect you to still be out strolling. Living up to your reputation—so relaxed, aren’t you?”
Front: Gwan Cheol-woo.
Left, right, back: five massive men.
Baek-rim took in the surroundings, then looked back at the leader.
“Henan’s Six Freaks, is it.”
The Six Freaks of Henan—six brothers of the same blood, infamous for their cruelty across Henan.
But the man they surrounded was Yeon Baek-rim, the Sun-Moon Divine Sword—said to be strong enough to enter the Ten Masters had it not been for political considerations in the martial world.
Even sixty of the Freaks together wouldn’t be able to withstand ten moves from him—something they surely knew.
Yet Gwan Cheol-woo acted as though today were the day he intended to die, draping an arm over Baek-rim’s shoulder and leaning in close.
“You know… I heard something very interesting just now.”
He whispered into Baek-rim’s ear.
“You…”
Just then—
“You there. The troublesome young man.”
Baek-rim raised his head slightly, still surrounded.
“There seems to be a way to grant your request after all.”
“Huh?”
Baek-rim met Kang Yu’s eyes over the shoulders of the giants.
“Let me see your skill.”
“Guhhk—!”
A strangled gasp escaped thick lips.
Gwan Cheol-woo stared in disbelief, clutching his lowered shoulder.
The other members of the Six Freaks wore the same expression, staring at the exact same spot.
It didn’t last long.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
All of them collapsed in a single breath.
It had taken Kang Yu only that long to defeat the future of Henan’s Black Lotus Sect—Henan’s Six Freaks.
Baek-rim, who had been standing a step away, looked down at the fallen brothers with mild indifference.
“Do you still need to spar with me?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve already reached a state of attainment.”
Receiving praise from a famed master, Kang Yu flushed with embarrassment.
“Hehe… really?”
“What you need now is not a spar, but a life-or-death battle. As long as you worry about what comes after, there is no room for enlightenment to dwell.”
Baek-rim paused.
“So then…”
His hand drifted toward his waist.
“Shall we truly give it a try?”
“……”
Kang Yu swallowed hard.
This was a man praised endlessly by other masters—a master among masters.
The Sky-Azure Divine Dragon whose name he had heard countless times since Sǒnseo.
And the way his hand rested on the sword… impossibly sharp.
‘Hmm…’
A life-or-death fight…
But he still had so much to do in life. Dying now would be unfortunate.
“Hehehe… actually, it’s not that important. Haha. Ha…”
Seeing him scratch the back of his head awkwardly, Baek-rim removed his hand from the sword.
“If fate wills it, we’ll meet again.”
Whew—
Kang Yu let out a huge sigh of relief and hurried after him.
“So where are you going now?”
“Down the road.”
“This road?”
“Yes.”
“Then shall we walk together?”
“And how would you know where I’m going?”
“This road only leads one way—to Mt. Song, to Shaolin.”
Baek-rim paused for a beat.
“I see. Songshan. Shaolin.”
“You’re walking there?”
“I enjoy the view.”
Kang Yu lifted his foot as if to leap forward, then put it down again.
“That makes sense.”
Indeed, the line of mountains ahead looked like a painted scroll.
Together, Kang Yu and Baek-rim walked up the gentle mountain path.
