The Second Son of the Dancheon Sword Clan Prepared for Regression

Chapter 8: I Blocked One Move

Uncle Yeo Baek had promised to give me martial arts instruction if I blocked his three moves, but this was not the truth.

Of course, it didn't mean he had lied to me; it meant that the current process of struggling to block his three moves was itself training.

I knew that the experience of facing the attack of a supreme master without risking my life was not something that could be bought with money.

I was already receiving great teachings from Uncle Yeo Baek.

Although, I hadn't made much progress yet, as I still hadn't blocked a single move.

Ten days had passed since I had asked Uncle Yeo Baek for martial arts training, I had received ten attacks, and I had died ten times.

‘It’s not easy.’

But if you thought I was frustrated, you'd be mistaken.

Wasn't I someone who had taken no less than ten drops of Immaculate Pomegranate and entered the first stage of Healing Sage's Mind Cultivation Art?

Little by little, I was definitely catching up to his attacks.

This was not a feeling, but a judgment based on objective information and facts.

“You’re out here early again today.”

“It’s only natural for someone asking for teachings.”

I caught the slight movement of the corners of his mouth.

He was pretending not to, but he must be pleased with my attitude.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. It will be a little different today.”

“I’ve already heard that for the tenth time.”

Uncle Yeo Baek chuckled.

Since I had said it every time except for the first day when I was caught off guard, this was indeed the tenth time.

I could tell that he, who appeared indifferent, was very interested in my training.

“I hope you can block at least one move this time.”

At the same time as those words, the benevolent-looking uncle disappeared, and a sharply honed swordsman stood before me.

Gulp.

At the same time as I swallowed my saliva in tension.

Swish.

Uncle Yeo Baek’s figure disappeared.

I missed it even though I hadn't blinked.

It was a movement art that could be described as truly elusive.

But hadn't I said it?

That I was catching up to his attacks.

I knew that I could never block his attack by just guessing it was behind me because I couldn't see it.

I circulated my inner qi for a moment through my opened Ren and Du meridians.

Thanks to my expanded sense of qi, I was able to track his whereabouts.

‘Above!’

“Oh? You found me?”

With the sun at his back, Uncle Yeo Baek was striking down with his sword.

I reflexively raised my sword to block the upper part.

scritch-scritch!

It touched.

My sword had finally touched Bang Yeo-baek’s sword.

The only disappointing thing was that it would have been more perfect if I had received his sword vertically and a ‘clang’ sound had been made.

“Keuk.”

Because the speed of my sword was slow, I ended up receiving Uncle Yeo Baek’s sword at an angle, and that was why that dull ‘scritch-scritch!’ sound was made.

“You died again today.”

I was faced with the result that the blade of Uncle Yeo Baek’s sword, which had slid down my own, was aimed precisely at my Adam's apple.

“Thank you.”

I expressed my gratitude as I sheathed my sword.

Although it was a very short training session, I knew that these experiences were of great help to me.

“Yes.”

Bang Yeo-baek answered in a flat voice.

His flat personality, combined with his elusive movement art, made Uncle Yeo Baek feel more like an assassin than the Soul-Chasing and Life-Taking Ma Sok.

“Come again at this time tomorrow.”

Saying so, Uncle Yeo Baek vanished from the training ground.

“Phew.”

I had to train.

I would block his one move before I took the Azure Scale Elixir and reached the second stage of Healing Sage's Mind Cultivation Art.

Bang Yeo-baek’s gaze, which had vanished from the training ground, fell upon the training ground.

He watched his nephew, who was practicing the first half of the Dancheon Sword Art without being lazy even though he had left.

“Instead of watching in secret, why don’t you just come out.”

“You knew?”

“It’s hard to pretend not to know every time.”

Although Bang Yeo-baek chided him, Dancheon Gang did not erase the smile from his face and stood next to Bang Yeo-baek.

“My man, have you gotten rusty in the meantime?”

He was referring to the fact that Dancheon Myeong had tracked Bang Yeo-baek’s figure in just ten days.

“Did it seem that way to you?”

Bang Yeo-baek asked back calmly.

“Heh heh.”

Dancheon Gang let out his characteristic laugh when he was in a good mood.

“So, was Myeong useful?”

To Dancheon Gang’s question, Yeo Baek gave a slightly different answer.

“It seems there isn’t much time left.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the time it will take for Young Master Myeong to block my three moves.”

Dancheon Gang knew well how outstanding Bang Yeo-baek’s insight was.

Wasn't he a living witness himself?

“Is it to that extent?”

Bang Yeo-baek nodded at the question filled with admiration.

“But I can’t just let him have it easily.”

“Hmm.”

Dancheon Gang silently took in the sight of his second son training with his own eyes.

***

“You!”

Yang Su-rin came to find me again.

This was our third meeting after my regression.

In my past life, I had met her for the first time only after we were engaged.

I remembered that it took me, who had fallen in love with her at first sight, more than a year to see her face three times.

How times had changed.

“Are you really going to be like this?”

“Like what?”

However, it was difficult to guess the reason why she was angry as soon as she saw me.

This was because regressing did not make one proficient in women's emotions.

After all, where would the Three-Knot Beggar Myeong-gae have had the opportunity to become proficient with women?

“Like what? Is that what you have to say right now?”

At my nonchalant reaction, Yang Su-rin flared up.

When I still didn't seem to understand, she let out a deep sigh.

“I came to this place first, right?”

“You did.”

Although the sight of her standing next to my mother Baek Yeo-hae was not very pleasant.

“And I came to this place the second time too, right?”

“You did.”

That meeting had been a very beneficial one.

It was the day a crack had formed in the alliance between Baek Yeo-hae and Yang Su-rin.

“Then why do I have to come again?”

“Hmm?”

Was it unfair?

That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly denied it.

This was because there was no reason for me to go out of my way to see Yang Su-rin.

“Aren’t you the one who has business with me?”

The person who borrows money is supposed to come.

I knew that much, even though I had lived as a beggar for ten years.

“That’s not what I mean!”

Yang Su-rin yelled.

“If a lady comes to visit twice, isn’t it polite for you to come and see me at least once? No, at the very least, you should send a message!”

“Why should I?”

Yang Su-rin was dumbfounded by my answer.

I was the one who was dumbfounded.

Was this woman seriously still considering an engagement with me?

“You promised to get me ten thousand nyang within seven days and nights, and today is exactly the seventh day and night. And since you came now to keep the promise, isn’t that enough?”

“No!”

Yang Su-rin beat her chest as she said that, as if she were frustrated about something.

But I didn't care.

I was right about this.

I was sure of it.

“Please listen to me.”

She, who had been about to get angry, suddenly changed her demeanor.

Her demeanor, which had been like an angry bull, suddenly transformed into that of a young lady from a good family.

I didn't know why she was acting like that now, after she had already shown her true colors.

Yang Su-rin uncharacteristically hesitated before speaking.

“We were supposed to take some time, weren't we.”

“What kind of time?”

“Time to get to know each other.”

“Wasn’t that story already over?”

“Who decided it was over?”

It was a heart I had so desperately wanted to win.

And a heart I had ultimately failed to win.

But to have it come closer when I pushed it away.

It was truly a mystery.

“Well, do as you please.”

I’m sorry, but I no longer have any intention of getting involved with you.

Fortunately, I had a way to end this meaningless conversation.

“Ten thousand nyang.”

I handed the bank note from the Cheonha Bank, which I had received from the Branch Lord Yeo-wol, to Yang Su-rin.

“It was real?”

Even after receiving the ten thousand nyang bank note, her expression was full of disbelief.

“It’s not a counterfeit note, is it? You’ll be in big trouble if you carelessly counterfeit a bank note from the Cheonha Bank.”

But wasn't she a merchant?

She couldn't deny it even after seeing the clear physical evidence.

“Why would I have any reason to lie to you?”

Now the purpose of meeting her had been achieved.

“Now, go and fulfill your ambitions with that money.”

Now that the seed had been planted, I would be able to harvest it someday.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, you will succeed.”

I would let it mature for ten years.

So that when I became the Murim Alliance Leader, the Yang Clan would be able to support me.

***

There are days like that.

A day when you wake up feeling unusually light and refreshed.

A day when for some reason, both your mood and energy are good.

Usually on days like this, my alms bowl would be fuller than usual, or the information I wanted would come right to my ears.

And today, for some reason, was a day when I felt like I could block Uncle Yeo Baek’s sword.

“You’re out early.”

As I was practicing the first half of the Dancheon Sword Art, Uncle Yeo Baek was watching me.

It felt like a waste to stop the sword art, so I just greeted him with my eyes and naturally finished the rest of it.

Uncle Yeo Baek silently took in my sword path with his eyes.

“Hoo-”

After sheathing my sword, I approached him.

“I’m sorry. It seemed a little early for you to be out.”

“No. I’m the one who came out early.”

After replying so, he paused for a moment before continuing.

“You were better than Young Master Hak.”

“……Thank you!”

I wondered if it was an answer to ‘the elders are stronger than you, Uncle’.

This was how we were getting closer, little by little.

“Are you ready?”

Saying so, Uncle Yeo Baek drew his beloved sword.

For some reason, his sword looked clearer today.

“It will be different today.”

I had said it every time, but today was really something different.

Did he feel it too?

The uncle just silently nodded his head.

Swish.

An elusive movement art, just like always.

The uncle's figure, which had been standing in front of me, disappeared.

‘Right.’

My gaze followed his tracks.

It wasn't like before, where I would lose track of him and then barely trace his movements by expanding my sense of qi.

My gaze did not lose his faint trail from the beginning.

Although it was the first time, it felt natural, as if I had experienced it before.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Watching with my own eyes, I could see how sublime his movement art was.

In the short time that I had thought was an instant, before his one move reached me, the uncle’s movement art had performed a total of three changes to reach me.

‘Front.’

The uncle’s sword came stabbing straight at my solar plexus.

It had a fierce momentum that did not allow for the complacent thought that he would stop before it touched me.

How should one deal with an attack that comes straight from the front?

There were two ways.

Either I strike his sword to change its trajectory, or I dodge.

The judgment was swift.

Wasting my one move to strike his sword was a poor strategy.

This was because today, I had no intention of being satisfied with simply blocking his one move.

Whoosh!

I quickly turned my body to the side.

The uncle’s sword, which had been aimed at my solar plexus, slightly cut the front of my clothes.

At the same time, I raised my sword.

It was a technique I had practiced until I was sick of it, the first form of the first half of the Dancheon Sword Art, Dancheon’s Falling Thunder.

The technique unfolded as naturally as breathing.

At the same time, something unexpected happened.

Woong.

With a faint sword cry, a faint but bluish energy coated my sword.

It was sword qi, the well-known evidence of the Peak realm in the jianghu.

At the age of eighteen, I had crossed the threshold of the Peak.

I could reflect on this later.

“Hap!”

I shot my sword towards the uncle without hesitation.

And.

BOOM!

“Keok.”

My body was sent flying without me even knowing why.

“Oops.”

Uncle Yeo Baek expressed his impression in a calm voice.

His sword was overflowing with a sword flux that was incomparable to my crude sword qi.

It was clear evidence of the state of harmony.

“My apologies.”

“……I’m fine.”

I couldn't answer quickly because of the rebound from being hit by the sword flux, but I was really fine.

This was because I was in a very good mood.

I had thought it was just a good day, but it wasn't.

Today was the day I had perfectly made the first stage of body reformation my own.