Chapter 48 – The Ghostly Genius

Chapter 48 – The Ghostly Genius

There was a small commotion in the inn, which had not yet been fully tidied up.

Do Yi-gyeom was only able to return to the training ground after giving a brief explanation to the workers hired to repair the broken wall and the manor.

‘Sigh… It is a worry.’

He let out a small sigh as he recalled San-ho waving his hand cheerfully behind his back.

His skills were certainly solid.

Seeing how he helped Un-jo, his character was also solid…

Why was he so anxious? It was a very strange thing.

“I should watch him a bit longer…”

At that moment, the hand pushing open the half-open door of the training ground stopped.

This was because San-ho, standing in the middle of the training ground, held his sword straight and took the starting stance of the Blue Cloud Meteor Sword Art.

‘No way…’

At that moment, Do Yi-gyeom's body froze.

Calming his breath quietly, San-ho took a first step without hesitation.

One step, and then another step.

His trembling eyes opened wider and wider.

“………”

A scene he had long wished for was unfolding before his eyes.

A fragment of the nostalgic past.

He could not take his eyes off the glittering appearance of San-ho, as if the most brilliant moment had been brought back.

A moment like that which had existed for him as well. A blue spring, where he had pressed forward while waiting for tomorrow, unable to sleep from the desire to reach higher places, was right here. Who was it that said the past could not be turned back? Time did not flow. It only connected and accumulated.

‘…Ah.’

He had seen what he wished for, yet why was his chest so tight?

His gaze flowed along with the path of the sword that was being drawn fluidly.

*Shring—*

The straightly extended sword was thrust out resolutely as if to split open the sky. Then, in an instant, it swayed as softly as a cloud.

It was a startling level of concentration.

Although it was not yet perfect, San-ho was clearly mimicking the forms of the Blue Cloud Meteor Sword Art.

‘…He is a ghostly genius.’

Such was the cleverness that remembered a sword art seen only once. On top of that, it was the level of understanding to internalize what he saw with his eyes. It was no ordinary talent. No, before that, could this even be considered within the realm of talent?

‘Even I, who received direct instruction from Master, took several times longer to mimic this form. This is not just a matter of having good aptitude.’

Do Yi-gyeom was convinced that his choice was not wrong.

The intense energy he felt the first moment he saw him was indeed not an illusion.

His sword, which he had thought would be severed, was slowly being recreated at the tips of San-ho's fingers.

A faintly rising nostalgia.

– Senior Brother, look over there. Master looks extremely tired. He is nodding off right now, isn't he?

– Master is not sleeping.

– Ah, really. The scent of wine is wafting all the way over here!

Memories of the past, which he thought had been forgotten by now, rang clearly in Do Yi-gyeom's ears.

Along the path of the sword embroidered in the sky, nostalgic faces floated up.

"I see," Do Yi-gyeom murmured softly.

Only now did he understand the words his master had spoken. That if it connected, it would never disappear. That when you perform this sword art, those who have passed away will all add their strength to you. The words saying that if that will was reached, it was the same as always being together.

An unusual light shone in his eyes as he watched the sword path sparkling like starlight.

"Whether it is good luck or bad luck, that young master has finally caught the eye of the Flowing Cloud Sword."

Just then, a voice woke him as he was falling into the nostalgia of the past.

Do Yi-gyeom let out a dry cough out of embarrassment and said.

“Ahem, he is not even mimicking it properly yet.”

“Oh, please… You know how amazing it is to even mimic that sword art, yet you still say that.”

“……”

“If the Shopkeeper's old friend had seen this, they would have been pleased.”

“Ha, you say that only because you don't know, Un-jo. If it were that crazy old hag Tang Mo-ran, she would have sprayed poison first, demanding how a direct descendant of the Tang Clan could hold a sword…”

Do Yi-gyeom suddenly trailed off and shut his mouth.

“—Ah, I am sorry. I shouldn't have…”

“No, there is no reason for you to be sorry, Un-jo. The problem is that old hag who hasn't been seen for fifty years, whether she is dead or alive.”

"Go on and do your work." Do Yi-gyeom, waving his hand dismissively, left Un-jo behind and entered the training ground.

The successor was not the only one he had been waiting for here for a long time.

***

“Hmm… I don't think this is it, it's not working well. What's different?”

San-ho, who was mimicking the forms, tilted his head in confusion.

“Your leg position is wrong.”

“Oh, you saw? I tried to give it a quick shot, but it's not working out well.”

“Even with the same stance, you must adjust it according to your body shape. Right now, you are just following the path I stepped on.”

“Mmh… Like this?”

At Do Yi-gyeom's single word, San-ho corrected his awkward stance. The posture of the form became much more comfortable and precise.

“That's it. It must be a sword art you've never seen before, yet you mimic it quite well.”

“I remember things I see with my eyes quickly. Although the body following along is another matter… This one has a lot of changing flows, so it is particularly difficult.”

Do Yi-gyeom was quite surprised by San-ho's casual reply.

No matter how good one's memory is, martial arts are something that cannot be memorized if one lacks insight. Yet, being able to follow it well after seeing it just once meant that he not only had a good memory but also had a wealth of accumulated knowledge and realized truths. Above all, his attitude of looking accustomed to it would mean that such situations had occurred frequently for him.

‘If he is already like this now… he will show immense growth as time passes.’

By then, who would be able to catch up to this child?

Having realized this fact, he felt that San-ho's unaggressive nature was truly a fortunate thing.

‘However, that alone is not enough.’

Whether it was a sword art or another martial art. Although mimicking the forms was difficult, if one could not grasp the true meaning contained within the martial art, it was a useless endeavor.

Do Yi-gyeom opened his mouth to explain the subtleties of the Blue Cloud Meteor Sword Art.

“But, as I was mimicking this form, I got curious about something. I know that the drifting cloud is blue, but why is it that when it flows into swiftness…”

However, before he could even speak, questions poured out of San-ho's mouth first.

‘…Ha. What kind of guy is this?’

At the attitude of asking the very thing he was about to say beforehand, Do Yi-gyeom let out a gasp as if dumbfounded.

To want to know the true meaning of the sword when the subject had not even been brought up. How could he have such thoughts at that age?

The younger a child was, the more they obsessed over results. Because they had no experience, they focused on what was visible.

It was the same in martial arts. Rather than the hidden true meaning and subtleties of a sword art, they wanted to learn the visible results first. Because it was human desire to want to learn a flashy sword rather than a solid foundation.

Yet San-ho, while mimicking the forms quite well, was curious about their principles and reasons.

It was not just a matter of learning and mastering.

He was absorbing it as if he would suck in everything. Every single thing, down to the last one placed right before his eyes.

Looking into San-ho's eyes that met his clearly, Do Yi-gyeom felt a sensation spreading like ripples deep beneath his skin. Along with a wondrous satisfaction, a chilling shiver ran through him.

“You…”

Only then did Do Yi-gyeom come to know what San-ho's true talent was.

He had thought that vast internal energy and a healthy constitution were the talents. Was the true talent curiosity and inquisitiveness?

“Shopkeeper?”

When no words followed, San-ho tilted his head and looked back at Do Yi-gyeom.

“Starting tomorrow, let’s do additional training after finishing your duties at Churyeon Pavilion. Make sure to come out to the training ground by the hour of Hae (9 PM).”

It was a talent that he coveted this much from just a single sword strike, to the point that he was almost afraid of what kind of achievement he would display in the Tang Clan's martial arts, which he had trained in for a longer period. Witnessing his true talent made him covet it all the more.

“Huh? Suddenly? Why, why… Is my skill that terrible?”

But San-ho, who had no way of knowing his thoughts, turned pale and shook his head repeatedly.

“There is such a thing.”

“……”

Watching San-ho's bewildered expression, Do Yi-gyeom smiled faintly.

“Welcome to hell… No, welcome to Churyeon Pavilion.”

San-ho shuddered at the sudden sense of déjà vu.

***

Time is fair to everyone.

This meant that just because one had spent a very exhausting day, it would not flow any slower.

It was the same for San-ho. He thought he had already finished his hellish training in the Tang Clan, but when he came out, a new hell was waiting. And, as always, time in hell flowed extremely fast.

San-ho grew rapidly while receiving Do Yi-gyeom's one-on-one tutoring. The speed at which he grasped the path of the sword with the eyes that used to handle hidden weapons and caught up was to the extent that it defied all comparison.

However, San-ho's rapid growth was not limited to swordsmanship.

San-ho, who was born clever, had the life skills experience of a second life, and was even good-looking enough to be likeable…

“Waiter! Here, over here too!”

“Oh my, we were first, you know?”

“What do you mean by that in an inn? Geez, these people really!”

Three months after joining, he had become the star waiter of Churyeon Pavilion.

“Ah, I told you that you can't fight here!”

Being called left and right by everyone, San-ho, whose mind was completely drained, suddenly shouted.

At that moment, a rough voice erupted from a corner of the crowded tavern.

“How dare you insult my sect?”

“Sure, come at me with your worthless martial arts!”

“Wow, seriously…”

At those sounds, San-ho held his forehead with a face full of annoyance.

Indeed, a fight between martial artists in a Jianghu inn was one of the sights commonly seen. Shouting back and forth, weapons drawn, chairs flying… Consequently, surrounding customers would naturally frown and move away.

However, only in this place did that cliché scene unfold a bit differently.

The two, who were growling as if to eat each other alive.

At the sudden, strange silence, their gazes, which had been directed at each other, naturally turned away.

“……?”

“W-What? What are you looking at?”

Looking around, weren't the customers of the inn gathered and watching them? Even a certain sense of anticipation could be felt in their eyes.

When a fight broke out in an inn, it was common sense to avoid it, yet they had no idea why this place was the opposite.

While the surrounding gazes grew, a particularly stinging gaze was felt among them. At the center of that gaze was an exceptionally handsome waiter. His posture, sitting with his arms crossed, looked exactly like someone watching a fight.

‘What kind of waiter is so clean-cut?’

“Who are you?”

“I'm an employee here.”

“……?”

At San-ho's words, which were far too confident, the two martial artists were instead dumbfounded.

“Are you going to keep fighting? If so, are you just going to argue, or do you also have plans for a physical fight?”

“What?”

“Depending on that, the next guidance will differ a bit…”

San-ho scratched his head and looked at the two in curiosity.

‘…Is he really out of his mind?’

“You! This is not an issue for a mere waiter like you to interfere in. I will show mercy just this once, so mind your own business and do your job!”

“You might not know, but I am working really hard right now. Anyway, if you are really just going to have a verbal fight, carry on, and if you are going to have a physical fight, go outside and fight.”

“………”

“Ha…!”

Presented with options they had never heard in their lives, the two could not hide their bewilderment. Moreover, the fact that the person who said those words was a mere waiter made it even more perplexing.

However, there was something else that threw them into real confusion.

“They must be here for the first time.”

“Tell me about it. Thanks to them, we'll get to see a very entertaining show today.”

“This is the famous attraction of Churyeon Pavilion that I've only heard about!”

“Oh, it's my first time!”

These were the words coming from the mouths of the onlookers surrounding them.

‘An entertaining show? These bastards are…’

‘Do they not value their lives?’

Putting their absurdity aside for a moment, San-ho, who grew impatient looking at the bustling customers, urged the two.

“What are you going to do? Please decide quickly. It's a really busy time right now.”

“………”

Those last words became the final blow, igniting the competitive spirit of the two. For both this absurd atmosphere and that waiter standing at the center of it were rubbing them the wrong way.

“Ha! You look down on us.”

“I'll fix your arrogant attitude first.”

The martial artist with the sword drew it from its scabbard. At that, San-ho immediately scowled and shouted.

“Indoors! Swords! Absolutely not, seriously!”

However, the other martial artist, who still did not know the situation he was in, picked up the spear leaning against the table.

“A speeeaar? A spear! Is even less acceptable, seriously!”

In the end, they found themselves facing San-ho, who had instantly transformed from a handsome waiter into a work-weary yaksha.

“I'm already busy enough to die as it is…”

Grit. The yaksha clenched his fist.