Chapter 171. Time (3)

Was there another Jin Yuseong with the same name as me?

While pondering that doubt, a forgotten memory came to mind.

The last time I met Teacher Sama. There was mention of the Seomoon Clan’s youngest master forming a social gathering among themselves.

The name mentioned back then was likely the Twin Heroes Alliance.

But the question still remained.

Why would those brats be in an organization created by the prodigies of the Seomoon Clan and the Pyo Clan along with Teacher Sama?

Furthermore, why on earth would that Twin Heroes Alliance serve me?

Did they all go mad as a group?

While I was dwelling on these questions, a battle began to unfold before my eyes.

“Kill them!!”

The Black Way bastards of the Oracle Fate Sect rushed wildly toward the prodigies.

The prodigies’ response was quite excellent.

They fought while maintaining their formation, protecting each other’s backs.

They were not startled by tactics targeting a man’s groin or a woman’s clothes, nor were they flustered when spat upon or having sand thrown at them.

They seemed to have properly learned how to fight against Black Way bastards, and by extension, learned real combat.

However, that didn’t mean the battle was one-sided.

The skills of the prodigies were not that outstanding.

The young man who stepped forward first was the only one who could be called first-rate, and the rest of his companions were second-rate at best.

It was closer to a situation where they were barely holding on rather than defeating the Black Way bastards.

So, I took a step forward.

I couldn’t just let aspiring chivalrous heroes die without ever blooming.

I dug into the Black Way bastards surrounding the prodigies and swung the Master’s Blade.

Slash! Slice!

Every time I swung the sword, blood splattered and Black Way bastards rolled on the ground.

Not a single one could block or dodge my single strike.

Perhaps it was because I had mostly been fighting against those notorious in the Jianghu for a while.

Dealing with these Black Way bastards felt easier than twisting a child’s wrist.

Slash.

Finally, as I cut off the arm of the guy who seemed to be the sect leader, silence descended upon the surroundings.

“Arghhhh.”

The only sounds were the wails of the crippled Black Way bastards.

The prodigies were all looking at me with dazed faces.

Then, one of them came to his senses first and took a clasped hands greeting toward me.

“We failed to recognize a senior of the Beggar’s Gang. Thank you for saving us!”

“Thank you!”

“……I am not a Beggar’s Gang member.”

Since I had been entangled in trouble before for selling the Beggar’s Gang’s name, I thought about clarifying it this time.

But at my answer, the prodigies looked at me with puzzled expressions.

“Th-then why are you dressed like that…….”

“Ahem. Look at this person. How can you say such rude words?”

After scolding each other, one of them stepped forward and asked.

“This lowly one is called Yang Gwangpil. By any chance, may we know the Great Hero’s honorable name?”

“Jin…….”

I was about to answer Yuseong but hesitated.

The words of the Oracle Fate Sect Leader came to mind.

What if the Jin Yuseong these guys serve is really me?

It felt like things would become uncomfortable in many ways.

“Ahem. Actually, I am a Beggar’s Gang member. I have forgotten my name, so do not mind it.”

“Hahahaha. I heard that members of the Beggar’s Gang hide their identities to protect the beggars. So, you were pretending not to be one on purpose?”

“……That is so.”

At that moment, a woman in the back tilted her head and spoke.

“But isn’t the Beggar’s Gang famous for palm and stick techniques? I do not recall hearing rumors of a swordsman as excellent as the Great Hero in the Beggar’s Gang.”

Before I could answer the sharp-witted woman, the other prodigies ran their mouths.

“Hahaha. Isn’t it because he is someone who dislikes standing out?”

“Brother Yang is right. He only stepped forward now to help us. Before this, wasn’t he just acting like an ordinary beggar?”

“Oops. This is not the time for this.”

After concluding among themselves that I was a Beggar’s Gang member, Yang Gwangpil asked me.

“We are thinking of returning the wealth these vicious bastards stole from the villagers. Would the Great Hero like to join us?”

Since these guys said they would clean up, there was no reason for me to stay.

I tried to shake my head but realized a big problem belatedly.

The second reason I came to this Oracle Fate Sect had not been resolved yet.

In addition to cleaning up trash, I had to secure at least minimal travel expenses.

I calmed my mind with a deep breath.

I am a Beggar’s Gang member.

For now, those guys considered me a Beggar’s Gang member.

So, wouldn’t it not matter?

“Ahem. I am busy so I think I will leave, but I will just take a few of these swords here as travel expenses.”

At my question, for some reason, the prodigies looked at each other and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha.”

I wondered if they were mocking me for being a beggar, but it didn’t feel like ridicule.

“This is truly fascinating. Great Hero. By any chance, have you heard of a person named Jin Yuseong?”

Asking me if I know myself; it felt like sharing some Buddhist Zen dialogue.

“Well, I have heard of him.”

“Hahaha. We heard that Great Hero Jin also often took a few weapons used by the bastards after cleaning up trash.”

“But seeing the Great Hero act the same way, it was somewhat fascinating, so laughter came out.”

I tried to ignore the gazes of the guys laughing among themselves and picked up a few swords scattered on the ground.

Then, just as I turned my back to leave, I stopped.

I turned my head slightly and asked the prodigies.

“By any chance, may I ask one more thing?”

“Hahaha. What is there to worry about between comrades who fought against Black Way bastards together?”

“Please ask freely.”

“Can you tell me exactly where this is?”

“…….”

The prodigies laughed awkwardly and looked at each other.

Soon, Yang Gwangpil threw a joke with an awkward smile.

“Ha. Hahaha. It, it seems you have lost your way.”

“Well, it turned out that way.”

“Ahem. This is a place called Luonan in Shaanxi. Great Hero.”

Hmm. If it’s Shaanxi, it’s adjacent to Hubei, so it seemed easy to find the Seomoon Clan.

“Thank you.”

As I walked away after finishing my business.

I heard the prodigies whispering among themselves from behind.

“A beggar and directionally challenged. It seems that Great Hero also has a lot of hardships.”

“From the ghost-like swordsmanship to taking the Black Way bastards’ weapons. Honestly, I suspected he might be Great Hero Jin Yuseong who went missing, but…….”

“Talk sense. How could that person be so clumsy?”

“Hahaha. That is why I stopped at just suspecting.”

It seemed I did well to hide my name.

After parting with the prodigies. I immediately unfolded my lightness art and left the village.

After running for half a day, I arrived at a new village around afternoon.

I visited the local smithy and sold the weapons I had packed.

With the travel expenses obtained that way, I bought a set of black clothes and went to a river near the village.

As soon as I threw myself into the river, dirty water flowed down my body.

Washing off three years of grime was difficult in many ways.

Only after washing for a long time did my body become somewhat clean, and only then did I dry myself and dress in the newly bought black clothes.

Then, with the bundle on my back again, I returned to the village.

“Welcome!”

The inn waiter welcomed me as I arrived in a decent state.

For the first time in a while, I could order and eat food that wasn’t Grain Pills.

After finishing a moderate meal, I went up to the room and untied the bundle.

This cloth was what the Fighting Venerable gave me before I left at the end.

Four manuals given by the Fighting Venerable. And even the manual for the Sun Moon Infinite Sword. A bundle containing a total of five manuals.

If rumors spread in the Jianghu, it was a bundle everyone would be bloodshot-eyed to steal.

I pushed the Sun Moon Infinite Sword aside and opened the manuals given by the Fighting Venerable one by one.

The name [Five Tiger Gate Severing Blade] was written on the cover of the first manual I opened.

The technique the Fighting Venerable unfolded at the end naturally came to mind.

Thinking back on that scene, I turned the first page and saw the Fighting Venerable’s handwriting.

– This blade technique contains the realization this seat gained while climbing Mount Song, smashing the doors built by Shaolin bald donkeys one by one.

My head nodded automatically.

“Crazy old man.”

Even after that, phrases filled with the Fighting Venerable’s self-love, pride, and arrogance continued.

If one ignored the crazy old man’s nonsense and looked only at the principles of martial arts, it was truly profound.

If there was one problem, it was that it was a blade technique, not a sword technique.

Modification was needed instead of learning it as is, but rewriting martial arts to my taste was a truly difficult task.

Especially if it was such high-level martial arts.

“First, it wouldn’t be bad to try learning it little by little.”

I had already learned all the initial forms of the Sun Moon Infinite Sword anyway.

The later forms were burdensome to train in many ways.

It wasn’t just because of the Fighting Venerable’s warning. In addition to the Fighting Venerable’s warning, the Tang Clan guy’s warning bothered me for no reason.

I felt that if I forcefully unfolded it one more time, I might really become crippled or die.

After reading all of the Five Tiger Gate Severing Blade, I read the remaining three manuals in order.

[Primordial Origin Heart Art], [Primordial Origin Steps], [Divine Wind Seven Forms].

Literally a mental cultivation method, a footwork method, and finally a lightness art.

I read the books comparing those three martial arts with the ones I had learned so far.

First, in the case of the Primordial Origin Heart Art, compared to the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, its stability seemed a bit lower, but it appeared to be a much more fierce and powerful mental cultivation method.

If I could learn it properly and control that fierce energy, the power of my martial arts would likely become much stronger.

Although it would take quite some time in the process of replacing the energy of the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art that had already settled.

In the case of the footwork, it was a bit subtle.

The Primordial Origin Steps was a footwork twice as excellent as the Eight Trigrams Flying Stream Steps.

Unlike the Great Swallow Nest Building Divine Art, which was a unique technique of the Danmok Clan, the Eight Trigrams Flying Stream Steps was not that high-level of a footwork.

But currently, the profundity of the Life and Death Blood Steps was melted into the Eight Trigrams Flying Stream Steps I had learned.

Compared to that, it was ambiguous to say the Primordial Origin Steps was overwhelmingly superior.

More precisely, the texture was completely different.

Unlike the Life and Death Blood Steps, which emphasized moving freely without losing balance at any time, the Primordial Origin Steps focused on explosive movement.

“Hmm. It seems better to learn both and unfold the necessary footwork according to the situation at the time.”

Finally, the Divine Wind Seven Forms seemed mandatory to learn.

I had only stolen and learned others’ lightness arts through my experience and special eyes so far.

I had no experience learning a high-level lightness art separately.

In the end, it seemed necessary to learn all four martial arts.

I didn’t know how many years it would take to learn, but it was actually a good thing.

“It won’t be just boring until I find my companions.”

Running blindly didn’t suit my temper.

Since I intended to combine training and travel anyway, having new martial arts to train was a truly welcome thing.

***

Moving while training martial arts for about ten days.

I arrived at my destination, Xiangyang.

A huge manor visible in the distance. My steps toward the place where the plaque ‘Seomoon Clan’ hung became urgent.

There were one or two things I had to ask once I got there.

Above all, I had to find out where my companions were currently, and next.

“What on earth have you been going around saying about me?”

I had to ask about that Twin Heroes Alliance.

Because I had encountered guys calling themselves the Twin Heroes Alliance three times just in the ten days coming here.

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