Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Chapter 59: The Cycle of Gratitude and Resentment (3)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 9

Manhwa: Chapter 55

“Senior Brother!”

Dan Li-yeon stared at the man in front of her with calm eyes.

The man was dressed in scholar’s attire that seemed to shimmer with a red aura. He also possessed sharp facial features, pale skin, and deep, dark eyes that made him look unrealistically handsome.

His name was Woon Dae-yeon, Dan Li-yeon’s senior brother and the second disciple of Ja Hong-cheon, which was his true identity.

Woon Dae-yeon was looking at a painting spread out on the table with a deep, contemplative gaze.

The ink on the painting, which had not yet dried, was freshly made by Woon Dae-yeon.

Drawn on the white rice paper was a bamboo tree shooting up towards the sky, with a large bird looking down on the world from above.

The painting was so vivid that it seemed to tear right out of the paper. However, Woon Dae-yeon seemed dissatisfied with something as he was frowning slightly.

Dan Li-yeon called out to him once more.

“Senior Brother!”

“Ah! Yes, Li-yeon! What is it?”

Only then did Woon Dae-yeon lift his head to look at Dan Li-yeon.

“I told you earlier.”

“What?”

“Master commanded you to preside over the gathering of the talents.”

“Do I really have to do it? Can’t you ask Senior Brother Yong to do it?”

“No, because Senior Brother Yong is attending the Jianghu Grand Conference as the Master’s representative.”

“Hmm! How about you preside in my place then?”

“Senior Brother!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Dan Li-yeon raised her voice. At that, Woon Dae-yeon frowned. He clearly looked displeased.

It was no secret that the Jade Heaven Alliance leader Ja Hong-cheon had three disciples.

The first disciple was the Indestructible Steel Blood, Yong Cheon-myeong, and the second was the Sword Dragon, Woon Dae-yeon.¹ Finally, the third disciple was Black Martial Empress, Dan Li-yeon, all of whom were among the top talents in the world.

Among them, the one seen as the likely next leader of the alliance was the first disciple, Yong Cheon-myeong. His standing within the Jade Heaven Alliance was solid, and it was said that he had long since reached the Constant Victory Realm, making him unmatched among the younger generation of martial artists.

His reputation within the Jade Heaven Alliance was so strong that he had garnered the largest number of followers, and many considered him to be the most likely candidate to be the next alliance leader.

As for the third disciple, Black Martial Empress Dan Li-yeon, she was a typical martial fanatic. Her desire to reach the pinnacle of martial arts was so strong that she lived every day engrossed in training.

No one knows the exact level of her martial arts mastery. However, given her talent and effort, it was widely believed she was nearly on par with Yong Cheon-myeong.

Unlike Yong Cheon-myeong and Dan Li-yeon, the world knew little about the second disciple, Sword Dragon Woon Dae-yeon.

Unless it was necessary or there was a special occasion, Woon Dae-yeon rarely made public appearances. As a result, many people outside were unaware of the existence of a disciple named Woon Dae-yeon.

Woon Dae-yeon became known to the world ten years ago when he single-handedly subdued a band of marauders known as the Windstorm Brigade² that was rampaging through northern Jianghu.

The Windstorm Brigade was different from the Nokrim faction and other thieves or bandit groups.

They were skilled in mounted martial arts. They were skillful with swords, daggers, spears, bows, and other weapons on horseback, and they knew how to execute cavalry formations.

They were like a swarm of locusts. Once they came out, they devastated everything around them. They were synonymous with terror in the north, taking not only wealth but also lives.

As the damage caused by the Windstorm Brigade grew exponentially, a Jianghu sect, unable to stand by any longer, took action.

The Iron Order Sect,³ at that time, was a powerful martial sect positioned as a leading force in the northern Jianghu.

People naturally assumed that the Iron Order Sect would annihilate the Windstorm Brigade. No matter how notorious the brigade was, people believed that the bandits would never be able to escape their inherent limitations of being a mere bandit or marauder group.

Moreover, the sect leader of the Iron Order Sect, Cho Han-yul, was a highly respected martial artist in Jianghu. His personal martial prowess had long since surpassed its peak, and now that he was taking matters into his own hands, the total annihilation of the Windstorm Brigade was a foregone conclusion.

Furthermore, the Iron Order Sect chose a mountainous area for the confrontation, a terrain that was absolutely disadvantageous to the Windstorm Brigade, which mainly consisted of cavalry.

It would have been odd if the Iron Order Sect hadn’t won. Naturally, the people watched the results with bated breath, expecting that the Windstorm Brigate would be annihilated.

However, when the results finally came, people could only be stunned. It wasn’t the Windstorm Brigade that had been wiped out, but the Iron Order Sect.

The Iron Order Sect’s leader, Cho Han-yul, was found dismembered, becoming food for beasts, and of Iron Order Sect’s seven hundred disciples, only about twenty or so survived.

It was only then that people realized that the Windstorm Brigade was an existence that transcended ordinary bandits.

The Windstorm Brigade was not just a band of bandits, but a new type of martial sect formed by a group of veterans from the military. A new kind of sect that, while already powerful individually, exhibited an even greater collective martial prowess when its members united.

After the annihilation of the Iron Spirit Gate, there was no longer a sect to stop the Windstorm Brigade. At least in the north, they were as good as kings.

The damage caused by them snowballed, and people cried tears of blood in pain.

It was then that Woon Dae-yeon, an unknown martial artist, suddenly stepped forward.

Woon Dae-yeon stood alone against the Windstorm Brigade.

When people saw him, they all thought he was insane. For a single individual to stop an entire group like the Windstorm Brigade? Such a thing was akin to a mantis trying to stop an incoming carriage with its arms raised.

That’s why people expected Woon Dae-yeon to die a gruesome death. However, their predictions were wrong once again.

This time, it was not Woon Dae-yeon who was annihilated, but the Windstorm Brigade.

It was said that with every flash of his sword, dozens of Windstorm Brigade members were sent flying away, torn to pieces. Neither their formation tactics nor the cavalry they were proud of could withstand him.

Like a dragon, Woon Dae-yeon ravaged through the Windstorm Brigade and ultimately annihilated them. That’s how he earned his nickname, the Sword Dragon.

After that day, it became known that Woon Dae-yeon was actually the second disciple of Ja Hong-cheon. This revelation caused even more excitement among the people.

The fact that a disciple of a sect leader had acted justly while concealing his identity thrilled everyone. From then on, people closely monitored Woon Dae-yeon’s movements. However, after the battle with the Windstorm Brigade, Woon Dae-yeon once again vanished from sight and gradually faded from the public’s memory.

It wasn’t out of a sense of justice that Woon Dae-yeon intervened in the first place. He had only

reluctantly stepped forward at the urging of an acquaintance in the north after he had closed himself off from the world and immersed himself in martial arts.

It was no wonder Dan Li-yeon looked exasperated when looking at Woon Dae-yeon.

Managing a gathering of the highest caliber talents in Jianghu was usually considered an honorable position.

Yet, Woon Dae-yeon appeared bothered, trying to find ways to delegate the responsibility to others.

“In any case, I’ve already conveyed Master’s words to you. Whether you take charge or not is your decision.”

“Hoo! You don’t think all of the Ten Young Heavens are going to participate, do you?”

“I don’t think so. Only Seon-wol has been confirmed so far.”

The Ten Young Heavens were the undisputed top talents in Jianghu. Even setting aside their special status as heirs of the Ten Supremes, their talent for martial arts pierced the heavens, making their pride immense.

Having received a personal letter from the leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance, Ja Hong-cheon, the heads of the Ten Supremes had no choice but to participate. However, the compulsory participation did not extend to the Ten Young Heavens. That’s why Dan Li-yeon viewed their likelihood of participation to be very low.

“That’s a relief at least.”

“The only person who dislikes interacting with other talents is probably just you alone, Senior Brother.”

“Enough with the nagging. I got it, now go on out.”

“Okay, see you later.”

After Dan Li-yeon bid her farewell, she left the room.

Left alone, Woon Dae-yeon looked at the painting with a slightly twisted expression.

The ink on the painting hadn’t fully dried yet, exuding a strong scent. Just then, Woon Dae-yeon waved his hand towards the painting.

Swoosh!

In an instant, the paper on which the painting was drawn turned to dust and disappeared.

“How shall I deal with this inner demon?”³

His voice echoed quietly in the empty room.

* * *

Lee Gwak made his way to the Creation Pavilion. This was because Ma Duwon suddenly called out for him.

“Come on in.”

As soon as he entered the Creation Pavilion, Ma Duwon greeted him warmly.

“You called for me?”

“Yes, I need your help with something.”

At Ma Duwon’s words, Lee Gwak looked puzzled.

“Help with what?”

“Come with me first.”

Instead of explaining, Ma Duwon started walking somewhere. Lee Gwak followed him silently.

Ma Duwon led him to a fairly large pavilion near the southern gate of the inner city.

“What is this place?”

“It’s an annex. It’s like a perfect neutral ground, not belonging to any organization within the inner city. It’s used as a villa of sorts when needed, but no one has used it in years, hence the semi-ruined state.”

“But why this place?”

“Someone suddenly said they’d be using this place, so they asked for a thorough inspection.”

“Who?”

“A very high-ranking person!”

Lee Gwak didn’t bother to ask further.

He knew if Ma Duwon intended to share, he wouldn’t have spoken so indirectly.

“So, we need to inspect this place from now on. We also need to check the mechanisms that were installed a long time ago.”

“Is there no support from the Creation Pavilion?”

“Almost all the manpower is mobilized for the Jianghu Grand Conference, so we’re short on staff. That’s why I’m asking for your help. Can you do it?”

“Of course.”

“Great!”

Ma Duwon smiled broadly at Lee Gwak’s response.

There were plenty of people to tidy up ruins or do odd jobs, but inspecting mechanisms couldn’t be entrusted to just anyone.

Lee Gwak was one of the few people Ma Duwon trusted.

“Let’s get started.”

“Right now?”

“Why, is there a problem?”

“No.”

“We don’t have much time. An important event is scheduled to take place here in a few days, so we need to hurry with the inspection of the mechanisms. If anything malfunctions, it could lead to a major disaster.”

“Understood.”

Ma Duwon explained in detail about the mechanisms installed in the annex. Most of them were already familiar to Lee Gwak, so there was no problem.

The two of them split up and began to inspect the mechanisms installed in the annex. As Ma Duwon worried, the mechanisms had been neglected for a long time and were significantly damaged.

Examining the interior of the annex, Lee Gwak suddenly discovered a hidden space behind a large pillar. He had tapped on the surface with his hand, and the hollow sound he heard indicated that the space behind it was definitely empty.

‘It seems to be a secret passage.’

He had already seen it before, but the Jade Heaven Alliance was truly riddled with secret passages like a spider’s web. But since most of them had been created during the early construction of the Jade Heaven Alliance, not many people even remembered them anymore.

‘This location should be closest to the underground sewage on the south side of the outer city.’

As was his habit, Lee Gwak roughly estimated the location of the secret passage.

Just then, he heard Ma Duwon’s voice.

“Hurry up, Lee Gwak. We need to finish our work so that others can refurbish this place.”

“Understood.”

Lee Gwak replied as he continued with his inspection of the mechanism.

Since his job wasn’t about reinforcing or undergoing major construction, the inspection didn’t take too long.

Although he found a few minor issues, it was nothing significant.

Lee Gwak reported the issues he found to Ma Duwon.

“Fortunately, it seems the critical parts aren’t damaged.”

“Yes! They just need a bit of repair.”

“Good work.”

A look of relief crossed Ma Duwon’s face.

The damage to the mechanisms wasn’t as bad as he had feared. It looked like they could repair everything in half a day.

The two men began repairing the mechanisms quickly, and their work was done in just half a day. By the time they were done, their entire bodies were drenched in sweat.

“Phew! Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’re the one who worked hard, Master Ma.”

“No at all! This was almost like playing around. Thanks to you, I can finally take a breather.”

A satisfied smile spread across Ma Duwon’s face.

With the inspection of the annex completed, he had no more tasks for the time being. The thought of finally being able to enjoy some rest brought a slight smile to his face.

It was then.

“Are all the inspections done, Master Ma?”

The door to the annex opened, and a familiar woman entered.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Sword Dragon. Raws: 검룡(劍龍).
   • 劍 jiàn – sword, dagger, saber
   • 龍 lóng, lǒng, máng – dragon

2. Windstorm Brigade. Raws: 광풍대(狂風隊).
   • 狂 kuáng, jué – insane; mad; violent
   • 風 fēng, fěng, fèng – wind; air
   • 隊 duì – squadron / team / group
3. Iron Order Sect. Raws: 철령문(鐵令門).
   • 鐵 tiě – iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang)
   • 令 lìng – to order / to command / an order
   • 門 mén – gate / door
4. Inner demon. Raws: 심마(心魔). Can also be translated as heart demon.
   • 心 xīn – heart / mind / intention / center
   • 魔 mó – evil spirit / devil

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