Chapter 24 – The Sparrow Flies In (2)

Chapter 24 – The Sparrow Flies In (2)

Zhang Yang designated a separate small training ground just for Wolf Fang Squad. It was a passage that showed how much he cherished the Legion's special attack force.

Today, as usual, about a hundred soldiers lined up at the training ground. At the end of them dancing the sword dance was a girl whose height was only about the size of an adult's waist.

So-so was imitating Wolf Fang Squad's members while holding a small, toy-like sword. Even though no one asked him to, he followed him to the training ground on his own.

So-mu, holding his sword and holding his back, passed in front of So-so and asked quietly.

“I’ll take you out on the street, so why don’t you make some friends and have fun?”

So-so didn't even look at So-mu. All he did was swing his small sword wildly and shout.

"no, I do not want!"

It was the age when I most enjoyed playing. I couldn't understand the kid who wanted to hang out with these slimy guys here.

"why……?"

“Because Wolf Fang never stops practicing even for a moment!”

So-mu sighed and laughed. This was something he usually told his crew.

“If you swing it like that, you’ll get hurt. Watch carefully and try to follow along.”

So-mu's sword moved slowly and stretched out in a straight line, then was retrieved again and drawn horizontally. Two very simple movements: simply stab and cut. However, these two were the most important movements that form the basis of all attacked. The rest was just application. If changes were made here, it becomes form.

“Like this?”

Phew! Hiss!

A satisfied smile appeared on So-mu’s face. It was an easy move, but I didn't expect to be able to do it all at once. We'll have to wait and see, but So-so's qualities were not lacking.

“That’s pretty good. Just keep repeating it. When it’s perfect, I’ll tell you the next move.”

So-so clenched his plum-like fists and raised them to his chest, shouting.

"yes!"

The sight of a small child imitating an adult was quite comical and cute. This was the only thing I saw and learned in a military camp full of soldiers, so it was inevitable.

With a smile on his face, So-mu continued walking toward the center of the group. The place where he stopped was the gap between Cheong-hae and Il-gwang. So-mu's gaze secretly glanced at them one by one.

‘I think the time was ripe now. ‘These two guys might be worth a try.’

So-mu silently stopped moving with his sword extended in a straight line. I hope so. Il-gwang and Cheong-hae were confused by his strange behavior.

“What are you doing now?”

“Are you asleep?”

It was very strange for the two of them to see So-mu, like a scarecrow, not even moving a single muscle.

It was about time they stopped what they were doing and focused their attention. Suddenly, the tip of So-mu's sword began to vibrate slightly. It seemed as if the sword was crying.

After a while, a ray of light emerged from the tip of the sword and began to dance.

“W-what is it?”

“Uh, how did you do it?”

The process of releasing black energy. It was being unfolded at an infinitely slow pace and was being shown to them. It was an impossible act to even attempt without some level of enlightenment.

From the tip of the sword, rays of light continued to appear like a silkworm pulling thread. Dozens of strands. And hundreds of strands. The milky white light that continued to come out soon turned and surrounded the blade. And it soon became one with the blade and began to create a cool haze.

“Seo, really, sword energy?”

“Uh, how did you do it?”

The perfect sword energy itself was revealed. Il-gwang and Cheong-hae couldn't close their mouths with their eyes wide open.

So-mu extinguished his sword energy and made a sly face.

“I just thought about it, and this is what happened?”

Before I knew it, Il-gwang and Cheong-hae were making the expressions of pleading puppies.

“What were you thinking? Tell me quickly!”

“Please let me know too!”

So-mu rested her chin and looked as if she was thinking deeply about something. After pausing while looking at the sky, he finally began to open his mouth.

“Well… First, I continued to infuse internal power into the sword. Then, I thought about the sword as a part of my body. To put it simply, I thought that my bloodstream was connected to this blade as well. My internal power toward the tip of the sword traveled through the blade and back to the Dantian. At that time, I mustered up all my strength and poured all of my internal power into it. It worked.”

A swordsman with enlightenment gave a demonstration and even explained it for easy understanding. They didn't know, but there was no such thing as a coincidence.

Il-gwang and Cheong-hae stretched out the tip of their swords and began to try as So-mu had told them. But you can't fill up on the first drink. They became scarecrows like So-mu a moment ago and did not even move for a long time.

I hope so. As if they had made a promise, a cloud of milky white light rose from the two swords at the same time. However, the beams of light that were supposed to surround the blade were deviating from the direction and fluttering around. So-mu's voice echoed in their panicked ears.

“Imagine collecting the energy released from the sword back into the dantian.”

I followed that advice and refocused for a long time. The beams of light that had been unable to find a place to go finally began to change direction. After a while, a halo of light surrounded the blade and succeeded in forming a perfect sword.

Satisfied, Cheong-hae smiled and extinguished the black energy, but Il-gwang was different. He was almost crazy with excitement from the pleasure of experiencing a new level.

“Hahaha! Guys, check this out!!”

As Il-gwang shouted, nearby crews began to rush in.

“Hey, Brother Il-gwang? How do you do that?”

“What, you mean sword energy?”

“Woman, you are amazing as expected!”

For the first time in a while, Il-gwang's shoulders gained strength.

“Did you see? This is what this brother is like!”

Leaving the self-absorbed Il-gwang behind, So-mu's eyes turned to So-so again. And soon an expression of surprise appeared on his face.

‘I never told you about that move?’

So-so was already using diagonal and vertical cut. Although it was still lacking in sophistication, it was improving rapidly. So-so's qualities that exceeded expectations were tongue-in-cheek.

It was then. An administrative soldier came running to the training ground at Wolf Fang Squad in a huff. As he approached So-mu, he took a deep breath and conveyed his business.

“Century! The general is coming to the office!”

The soldier in front of me was full of energy.

“You can go slowly. I’m going to run out of breath.”

So-mu put his hand on the administrative soldier's shoulder and patted him. Then his eyes suddenly trembled slightly.

"no!"

“But why are you so nervous?”

“Bae, Centurion, you are my hero!”

So-mu sighed and laughed.

“Everyone in the Legion is a hero, including you.”

An administrative soldier looked at So-mu's back as he walked away. After a while, his shoulders began to tremble slightly.

* * *

Yang Yang’s office was much simpler than expected. A few flags and maps. And except for the tabletop and furniture, the place was almost empty. Because the interior was spacious, it looked even more empty.

Zhang Yang was currently sitting across from the table and moving his brush.

“Did you call me?”

When So-mu pretended to be happy, he finished what he was doing and raised his head.

“Hehe. I heard you have a baby girl.”

A faint smile appeared on So-mu’s face at Zhang Yang’s joke.

“Thanks to you, General.”

“The reason I called you is because I wanted to go somewhere together.”

Of all the soldiers in the military camp, you were the one. There was no place I could guess.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I decided to meet someone in Boyang County.”

So-mu’s eyes turned to the map on the table. It was a distance that could be covered in about two days on horseback.

Come to think of it, Jang Yang was now dressed in plain clothes, wearing a neat jangsam. I didn't know who it was, but it seemed clear that they were trying to meet in secret.

“Do you by any chance need an escort?”

“Hehe. Your keen sense of insight is truly amazing. You can’t use the officers as bodyguards, and if that’s the case, aren’t your skills the best? I’ll be back soon, so there won’t be any trouble.”

“Are we leaving right away?”

“If you are ready.”

I was a little worried about leaving without even being able to say hello to So-so, but my worries didn't last long. It was a mission that didn't take long, and the war was in a lull for a while, so there was no need to worry about safety here.

"All right."

So-mu followed Jang Yang and saw a carriage waiting in front of the military camp. Who was this person that needs to be met in secret like this?

But you'll find out soon enough. There was no need to rush.

So-mu silently got into the carriage and fell into silence. It felt quite awkward to be alone with Yang Yang in a narrow carriage.

An hour has passed since the carriage picked up speed. Yang Yang closed her eyes and remained silent the whole time, as if she was deep in thought. So-mu noticed that his expression kept changing slightly. It was clear that the person he was about to meet was someone very important to him.

I couldn't even tell how much time had passed. At some point, Zhang Yang, who had been silent, opened her eyes and said.

“You don’t tend to talk much either.”

“Hehe. I guess he resembles the general.”

“It’s fitting that two mute people move together. If you have any questions, please ask. Since you are a centurion, wouldn’t it be good to have some understanding of the situation?”

So-mu also had a lot of questions. However, it was impossible to get carried away. Since Zhang Yang readily gave me this opportunity, I had no reason to turn it down.

“What is the status of the legions we faced in the State of Hui?”

“All the corps of the State of Hui stationed in the Shaanxi area are equivalent to the Three Jinjin.”

I had a guess that it wasn't the most elite. But it was completely unexpected that they struck out. It was impossible to even imagine the extent of the power of the State of Hui.

“Then where are the rest?”

“The main force is headed to the Western Xia. And I recently heard that the Western Xia was destroyed. In addition, there are several corps that are under maintenance after the defeat at Yangyang. The remaining troops are all invading Goryeo.”

Goryeo and the Song Dynasty have had a friendly relationship for a long time, but the relationship became even closer after the rapid rise of the Hui Dynasty. Currently, we were in a situation where we depend on each other and even exchange strategic materials through the sea.

“Is the country called Goryeo strong?”

“They say there is a legendary general called Cheok Jun-gyeong. But his opponent is also a formidable one. Since Samyo-ari, one of the two great generals of the Hui army, is in command, it is as if he has met his match.”

“If you are two great generals, who is the other one?”

“Wan Anhui. He is the one who destroyed the Western Xia. I heard that the three generals I mentioned are all people who have reached the state of enlightenment.”

So-mu could not contain his surprise. Yongdamhohyeol was not a martial arts world, it was their world.

‘This was why the Martial Alliance was looking for me so much.’

A decade-long political and demonic war. It was a cruel war unprecedented in the history of martial arts. Martial World, whose strength had weakened after so many masters left for secret service, was now reduced to a mere watcher. In ordered for the martial arts group to regain its former prestige, the presence of the Sword Saint was desperately needed.

“It is said that the Emperor of the State of Hui was no less a master than him. Unfortunately, there is little information about him.”

The world was wider than So-mu thought. The current war situation was not a simple matter. It was much more serious than expected.

“Are there no masters in our Song Dynasty who can stand up to him?”

“There are four great generals in the Song Dynasty. General Yu Gwang-se of Sangjang, general Yue Fei, privy councilor Jang Jun, and Muan Jeoldo master Han Se-chung. They are all masters who have surpassed the art of painting.”

“Is there anyone who has achieved enlightenment?”

“There is one of them. Muan Jeoldo Han Se-chung. He is currently suppressing the rebels in the south.”

“Wouldn’t it be worth a try if the four great masters of the Song Dynasty joined forces?”

“This is an impossible situation. Why do you think the country has been ruined to this point? There is a traitor next to the emperor. Prime Minister Jin Hoi, this evil bastard is driving the warlords apart. The relationship between General Yoo Gwang-se and General Han Se-chung has already become soured, it has reached the point of no return.”

“It’s pathetic to have enemies in front of you.”

“That’s not all. Privy Councilor Zhang Jun has already joined Jin Hui’s side and is framing General Ae Fei.”

“Why?”

“General Ae Fei was a general under the command of his younger brother, Jang Jun. However, General Ae Fei’s achievements grew day by day, and as his reputation surpassed his own, he began to harbor jealousy. Moreover, General Ae Fei was upright and did not hesitate to speak directly, so he would argue with Jin Hui about everything.”

“With the Privy Councilor and the Prime Minister joining hands with the same heart, General Ae Fei must have been in trouble.”

“That’s right. Qin Hui is hell-bent on pushing out General Ae Fei and using Jang Jun to take the warlord under his control.”

Something was strange. It felt so unnatural that General Zhang Yang was in possession of such high-level information.

“How do you know all this?”

“Who do you think we are about to meet now?”

“Are you one of the four great generals?”

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yang nodded once and said.

“Me and Ae Fei, the Elders is something I learned from the same teacher.”