Way Of The World (1)

For Yu Jinsan, he had no concern for the well-being of others.

When he stepped into battle, he always gave his all. Because there was nothing more foolish than giving up in a fight that risked your life. It was a lesson he learned from his experiences in Kangho.

“Huk!”

The Taoist attacking him became flustered and hesitated.

No matter how careless he was, his attack failed to connect, and his neck was spun around.

And Yu Jinsan was not one to miss this opportunity. He was too skilled of a warrior, while his opponent was just a disciple with little experience.

Yu Jinsan, gripping the handle of his spear, stuck it into the ground. At the same time, he kicked the blade of the spear with his foot.

Swish!

As soon as the spear bounced, dust blew into the opponent’s face.

The Taoist, who was approaching the elder, closed his eyes for an instant. It was a fatal mistake that only those with little experience would make.

“Tsk!”

At the same time, Yu Jinsan lowered his body slightly, rotated once, and aimed for the opponent’s lower body.

The Taoist, having difficulty seeing, instinctively read the flow of qi and leaped. At that moment, Yu Jinsan had a very subtle smile on his lips.

‘You got caught, huh, brat.’

The spear that was aimed at his lower body turned and rose up as if waiting. The previous attack was in vain.

Yu Jinsan quickly followed the opponent. By the time the Taoist noticed him, a sharp beam of light had pierced right between his legs.

Kuaaak!

“Ackk!”

With a sudden flash, the Taoist’s movements stopped.

Yu Jinsan, who had gotten down to the ground, silently shook his spear to drop the body.

Thud!

“Thank you for saving my life, Elder.”

The bandit touched his head, unsure of what to do.

“Don’t bother with greetings now. Let’s get out here alive first. We need to meet the bandit leader.”

There was no time to waste.

Just as he was about to take a step, his granddaughter screamed behind him, her legs flailing.

“Grapa!”

When he turned his head, he saw the child pointing her finger at the fallen Taoist.

Yu Jinsan was puzzled by her actions until he realized what she meant and had a regretful look.

“If it wasn’t for Seol, I would have forgotten something important. We need to move these people, so listen.”

The bandit tilted his head. Taking care of the enemy’s bodies when he couldn’t even recover his own allies? He was curious to hear what he would say.

“The bodies of the Taoists? What about them?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Hurry up and follow me with them.”

“Yes, Elder. But do I carry them both?”

Yu Jinsan sighed as he picked up the weapons of the Taoists from the ground.

“Ugh, this brat sure talks a lot. Would a young man be relieved if he made an old man with a bad back do the work? I took the weapons, so hurry up and bring them!”

“…Yes.”

Although he wasn’t too skilled, the bandit was someone who had been trained in martial arts. It might be a bit tiring, but it wasn’t too tough to lift two bodies.

And he slowly followed Yu Jinsan, carrying the bodies on both his shoulders.

After a while, the elder tilted his head and asked.

“What is your name?”

“Sanggu.”

“Okay then, Sanggu. Are you upset that your colleagues died?”

“Yes… The people I have meals with were brutally murdered right in front of my eyes. Still, I feel a bit relieved that the elder took revenge for me.”

“Do you truly feel relieved?”

Sanggu thought about it, then shook his head.

“No, actually, I don’t know. I just want to kill every Taoist bastard out there!”

“As I thought… it must be that. Revenge gives rise to more revenge, and the cycle continues to repeat itself. But how can people be free from those thoughts? One cannot escape from their karma, so I guess that is why we are humans.”

Sanggu nodded.

“If someone receives something, they must return it at all costs, whether it be grace or hate.”

“Well, wasn’t the cause provided by them? If you do many good deeds, you will be blessed and have virtue, and if you do numerous bad deeds, you will face evil happenings. That’s how causality works.”

“I heard the story about the elder. If that’s how the world works, then why did something like that happen to the Yu family?”

Sanggu, who asked the question, soon realized he had made a mistake and covered his mouth with his hands.

But Yu Jinsan burst into laughter as if he didn’t care.

“Haha. Kid, if it wasn’t for good fortune, why would the heavens have saved this child and sent me for her?”

The only survivors of the family were the eldest head and the youngest granddaughter, but there was a world of difference between having someone to rely on and not having anyone to depend on.

At that time, Yu Seol, who was on his back, looked at Sanggu and smiled.

“Is the child smiling at me?”

“If you want to live in Kangho for a long time, take a good look. This child has the potential to become the supreme leader of Murim in the future.”

“Yes, she definitely has the potential to become the best in the world.”

Sanggu’s dry answer made Yu Jinsan furrow his eyebrows in anger.

“How can you even recognize it? A child born with the same qualities as the Sword Queen.”

At that moment, Sanggu’s face went stiff.

Who was the Sword Queen? She was the legendary warrior who excelled in body, spirit, and martial arts—someone who couldn’t be rivaled by any martial artists of her generation.

When he looked closely, he felt a calm and endless presence of qi rising from the child, like a still lake.

Sanggu had an awkward smile at this.

“Please look after me, lady. I am Sanggu.”

“Sanggu.”

Yu Seol waved her arms and called out his name, brightening the dark and despairing look on Sanggu’s face.

“Yes, Sanggu, you must remember that name!”

Soon, they arrived at the mountain. There was already a lot of commotion and noise, as if they had already heard the news.

The watchtower bell was ringing, and the bandits were gathering at the entrance.

Sanggu looked around and asked,

“Where is the Captain?”

Some of the other bandits referred to the bandit leader as Captain, probably due to their military habits.

Yet, no one paid any attention to Sanggu. Everyone was focused on the elder who came with him.

“The elder is here to help us!”

“Then isn’t it worth a try?”

At that moment, the bandits erupted into cheers.

“WOAHH!!!”

“WOWWWWW!!!”

Yu Jinsan waved his hand at them and made his way through the gathered bandits.

He handed over the Taoist swords he had taken to a few of them.

“Don’t make any noise. I haven’t offered to help you yet.”

Sanggu followed closely behind him and said,

“You see the two rats on my shoulder? They were killed in one hit.”

“Th-that is amazing! The elder is strong!”

“Ah! Even if a bunch of Wudang men come, the elder can handle them!”

Unlike the deserters, these were people who trained in martial arts. The simple mention of killing Wudang Sect warriors in one hit boosted their morale.

However, Yu Jinsan, who was walking ahead, clicked his tongue at their cheers.

‘Are these people all insane?’

At most, he just dealt with the young, new warriors of the Wudang Sect.

If an elder-level person from the Wudang Sect were to come, the entire situation would change. It would be a disaster for the bandits.

He knew this because he had seen the warriors of the Wudang Sect during his travels around the plains.

At that moment, someone familiar came running from the front pavilion with an exhausted face. It was the bandit leader, Pungho.

“W-why is the elder here…?”

“Your men were screaming so loud that I couldn’t take a nap. But what’s wrong with your face?”

Pungho observed the bodies Sanggu was carrying and could deduce the situation. His face brightened a little, and he spoke while scratching the back of his head.

“As you know, we are currently preparing for the final battle.”

“And what are their strengths?”

“It is said that there are eight of them, presumed to be first-class disciples.”

Since most of the disciples of the Wudang Sect were first-class, it meant that they knew how to use sword techniques.

Even if they were facing numerous bandits, it would be difficult to go against such skilled individuals. The only person who could be of any help would be Pungho.

“8? Then isn’t it worth a try?”

“If the elder helps, then…”

“But I have one condition.”

Pungho, who already anticipated that something would be asked of him, immediately nodded.

“Please tell us. Is there anything we can do to survive?”

Yu Jinsan turned his head and glanced back for a moment. His granddaughter was looking at him with wide eyes.

“From now on, stop engaging in unjust robberies. I don’t want to be a grandpa that she would be embarrassed about.”

If he were to help the Black Mountain Blade bandits, he would become a part of them. And he wanted his only living family to see the righteous side of him.

It wasn’t that Pungho couldn’t understand those feelings.

“I would do that if I could. But farming and breeding animals on this small plot of land only bring limited benefits, and I cannot take responsibility for my subordinates who have given up everything for me. What good comes from disappointing them?”

“I told you to stop engaging in unjust acts like robbery alone.”

That made Pungho smile. It was because he understood what Yu Jinsan was trying to say.

“You’re telling me not to be a bandit, but to be a righteous thief.”

Yu Jinsan didn’t respond to that and changed the topic.

“Since we don’t have much time, please start by telling me what plans you have made. Since you used to be in the military, you must have a strategy in mind.”

“I have thought a lot about it, and there is nothing I can do. I plan to fight here, using the watchtower as a shield and the fence as a defense line.”

Pungho carefully observed the elder’s eyes. He needed the wisdom and experience that this old man possessed.

“If they are first-class disciples of the Wudang Sect, they can handle sword qi. No matter how high and thick the defenses are, they are useless against sword qi. There is no way our arrows would hit them.”

“If you have any ideas, please help us.”

“We need to draw them to the center of the bandits’ base, surround them, and then annihilate them. To do that, everyone needs to hide. You were once military troops, so you must have been trained in ambushes and hiding, right?”

“It isn’t so difficult for us. But we cannot fool the eyes of first-class disciples, right? They can surely sense the qi in our bodies.”

It wasn’t like Yu Jinsan didn’t know this. He held his back and looked around.

“That won’t matter.”

“… Uh?”

“Because I plan to use those two men to give us a chance.”

Sanggu, who received a wink from him, put down the bodies of the Taoists. One of them was in perfect condition, without any blood on him.

Pungho was shocked by this.

“You handled it so neatly, Elder. As expected from you. But what do we use them for?”

“No matter how many people we have, we cannot handle the Wudang Sect. If we start by capturing a few to prevent them from attacking, we will have a good chance of winning. There is no time, so we need to hurry up and change into their clothes.”

They didn’t have time to even think. Pungho removed the clothes of the Wudang warrior, and luckily, those clothes fit him.

But he still had doubts.

“I understand. You are planning to disguise yourself as a Wudang warrior and ambush them. But is it possible? They will recognize our faces, and we will be spotted before we can even get close. And even if we manage to succeed, how do we survive on our own?”

Yu Jinsan was becoming increasingly irritated by the constant questions.

Wasn’t he at an age now where even thinking drained his energy? It was difficult to explain every single thing.

As the battle drew near, he had to conserve every ounce of energy in his body.

“Why do the captain and his subordinate talk so much?!”

When the time came, he would explain it to them. After being scolded, Punghoo took action. If the elder decided to change his mind and not help them, then they would die.

Then Yu Jinsan picked up the clothes Pungho had removed.