Chapter 04: I Am Not Mad

When I fell silent, not out of fear but out of sheer disbelief, the old man seemed to interpret it as me being intimidated by his threat and spoke in a deliberately gentle voice.

“You should know that you’ve encountered a stroke of luck you’ll never see again in your life, you brat. If I had just passed by, you would have become a guest of the underworld before seeing tomorrow’s sun.”

I curled the corner of my lip. The old man, taking this as a sneer, growled again.

“This brat, you think my words are dog bones!”

That wasn’t exactly it, but I didn’t make any excuses and remained silent. At that, the old man shot to his feet.

I was quite tall, and the old man was barely five feet, so even when he stood up, our eye levels were about the same. As if he didn’t like that, the old man straightened his back as much as he could to gain the upper hand in our gaze. Then, he asked a strange question.

“Do you know what ‘Firm Energy’ is, you brat?”

“Do you take me for a fool? Who in the world doesn’t know what Firm Energy is?”

“Then do you have the skill to generate Firm Energy?”

When I couldn’t answer immediately and mumbled, the old man flashed a winner’s smile.

“I knew it. If you had that ability, you’d be a monster on par with the Sword Emperor’s son. You have some paltry skills, but Firm Energy? Not a chance.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about Firm Energy…”

“I was about to tell you even if you didn’t ask, you brat. This is a golden saying that will become your blood and flesh, so wash your ears and listen well. Before that, let me ask you one thing. How many martial artists in the current martial world do you think can use Firm Energy?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“How would I know that?”

“If you don’t know, you should shut your mouth and sit quietly like a new bride on her wedding night. What’s so great about you that you’re flapping your gums? By the way, are your lips naturally like that, or are they swollen from being hit? Or were you stung by a bee?”

“…”

As a curse was about to erupt from my thick lips, the old man quickly steered the conversation back on course.

“Although it’s said to be an unprecedented era of prosperity in the history of the martial world, there are only about a hundred people in the entire Central Plains who can imbue their weapons with Firm Energy, the symbol of a supreme master. If you expand the scope to include the lands beyond the borders, there might be more, but in any case, it’s not an ability that just any dog or cow can have. If you can properly draw out Firm Energy, it means you’re qualified to be among the top hundred masters of the Central Plains.”

“So? What does that have to do with me?”

“Hah, what a dull-witted brat. After I’ve explained it in such detail, you should be able to get it.”

After a brief staring contest with the old man, I brushed the dirt off my bottom and stood up. Then, I darted toward the pine forest from which the old man had emerged a quarter of an hour ago.

The old man shouted as he chased after me.

“What are you doing, you brat?”

I just kept running without a word. The old man, using his lightness skill to overtake me, blocked my path.

“Where do you think you’re running off to, you brat! We’re not done talking…”

The old man cut himself off and raised his arms in a defensive posture. It was because I had taken a pebble from my trouser pocket. I threw the stone without hesitation.

Whoosh.

The black stone that flew over the old man’s head hit a white rabbit running in a grassy field about a dozen paces away. Having succeeded in my hunt, I rubbed my stomach.

“I need to fill my stomach first. I haven’t eaten anything since last night.”

The old man got angry.

“You brat, just to catch a baby rabbit…, no, wait, come to think of it, I’ve been starving all day following you around. Yes, let’s eat first.”

“There’s not enough for me alone.”

“What a heartless brat. If there’s not enough, just go catch another one, right? Hurry up and go.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Then let’s share.”

“I don’t want to do that either.”

“Do you have to be so stingy to your savior? No matter how uneducated you are…”

“When did you save my life, old man?”

“It’s about to happen, you brat. By the way, instead of this useless bickering, why don’t we roast that thing? You said you were hungry, didn’t you?”

Grumble, grumble.

As if on cue, the demons in my stomach roared. I decided to accept the old man’s proposal for now. Pointing at the rabbit, I asked.

“Skinning or starting the fire, which one will you do?”

“Are you telling me to work?”

“Are you a beggar? Trying to get a free meal.”

“This brat is getting worse and worse. I think I need to fix your manners first. No, I’m not a back-alley gangster, so it’s only right to teach you with words before fists. Clean out your ears and listen well, you brat. Respect for the elderly is a precious tradition of this land that has been passed down for thousands of years since the ancient kingdoms…”

“Ah, that’s enough.”

Dodging the old man’s flying spit, I took out a flint from my pocket. Then, I gathered the surrounding twigs.

“What are you doing, you brat?”

“Can’t you see? To cook the rabbit, we need to start a fire, don’t we? Go get the rabbit.”

“You half-wit. At this rate, when will we ever eat? Move aside, you brat. I’ll do it.”

The old man, squatting next to the pile of twigs, extended his index finger. Strangely, it was longer than his middle finger. It wasn’t that his middle finger was short, but that his index finger was abnormally long.

Watching the old man, my eyes widened. A red energy swirled at the tip of the old man’s index finger, and then the twigs burst into flames.

“H-how did you do that?”

Satisfied with my stuttering reaction, the old man boasted.

“Making a fuss over something like this, what a pathetic brat. If you saw my real skills, you’d faint. Anyway, don’t think about getting a free meal and go skin that thing. And gather more branches.”

I swallowed hard. The tension that had risen within me when I first saw the old man was not a mistake. The old man was undoubtedly a tremendous master.

Although he sprinkled the precious salt as if it were his own, I didn’t give the old man a hard time. I also graciously gave him both of the plump rabbit’s hind legs. The old man, who devoured most of the meat in the blink of an eye as if he were possessed by a hungry ghost, wiped his mouth with his dirty sleeve.

“It barely tickled my liver, but I’ve managed to stave off my hunger. By the way, where were we?”

“We were talking about how if you can generate Firm Energy, you can be among the top hundred masters.”

“Hmm, so you were paying some attention. Then do you know why I brought that up?”

“Weren’t you trying to say that there’s someone in the Hundred Blades Alliance who can use Firm Energy?”

“Ho-oh, you’re not a complete idiot. Yes, that’s right, you brat. But you’re only half right. What, or rather, who is the other half?”

“Isn’t that obvious? It must mean there’s a strong person like that in the Taegeuk Sword Sect too.”

“It must mean? Must? Your speech is already short, and now you’re just speaking informally?”

“It just happened that way. But are you saying there are two people in this remote region who are among the top hundred masters of the Central Plains?”

“You’re changing the subject, you brat. Well, they might just barely make it to the bottom of the top hundred, but the wart of the Taegeuk Sword Sect and the bald head of the Hundred Blades Alliance are both capable of using Firm Energy. They are not only strong, but also have terrible tempers. Especially the wart, he won’t overlook the fact that you cracked that immature brat’s head. If that kid has any aftereffects, it’s as clear as day that he’ll go on a rampage, demanding you pay the price. It’s not just about losing face; it’s about ruining the future of the sect.

The bald head of the Hundred Blades Alliance is the same. I don’t know what position that Grand Master Hong holds in the Hundred Blades Alliance, but seeing as he was commanding those minnows earlier, he must be a high-ranking official. So there’s no way the bald head will stand by and watch you kill that man. Do you now understand what a stupid thing you’ve done? It’s not just about touching a tiger’s whiskers; it’s like you’ve pulled them out. And two of them at the same time. And yet you say you’ll take care of it and tell me to mind my own business? Is that how you talk to your savior, you brat?”

I grasped the seriousness of the situation.

But instead of feeling anxious or afraid, I was as excited as the day I first took the head of a Sea Demon. To have the opportunity to face masters who were among the top hundred in the Central Plains as soon as I came out into the world.

“I won the duel in a fair manner. And earlier, I only responded because that pale-faced kid attacked me. So the Taegeuk Sword Sect has no right to hold me responsible for his injuries. The same goes for the Hundred Blades Alliance. I’m just trying to collect a personal debt from my enemy on behalf of my late father. The enemy’s crime has nothing to do with the Hundred Blades Alliance…”

“I was going to listen to you to the end, but I just can’t. Are you naive or stupid? Probably both. Listen well, you brat. The martial world is fundamentally a world of beasts where justifications are thrown to the dogs. It’s no different for the righteous sects who wear the mask of justice. That kind of right and wrong won’t work and will only hasten your death. A justification not backed by strength is nothing more than an empty prayer. I guarantee you, if you spout that nonsense to the wart of the Taegeuk Sword Sect, your head will be separated from your body before you finish speaking, and you’ll have to recite the rest of your words to the King of Hell.”

“You can’t predict that it will definitely happen that way, can you? I didn’t kill or cripple that pale-faced kid, so for something like that…”

“Hah, talking to you is making my chest feel like it’s going to explode. You brat, it’ll just hurt my mouth to drag this out, so I’ll cut to the chase. Run away now. That’s the only way for you to live. And to add some advice that will be your blood and flesh, since you have no experience in the martial world, if you just run blindly, you’ll be caught nine times out of ten, so choose deserted places…”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

“This brat, still! Do you really intend to refuse the cup of persuasion and drink the cup of punishment?”

“Whether it’s a cup of persuasion or a cup of punishment, I don’t touch alcohol.”

“You brat, that’s not what I’m talking about!”

“Anyway, I’ll take care of it myself. I’ll gratefully accept your concern for me, old man.”

“You’ll die if you do that!”

“Why are you so worried about me, a complete stranger?”

The old man suddenly brought his index finger, which was a whole joint longer than his middle finger, to his lips.

A rustling sound came from beyond the forest, followed by cries of alarm.

It seemed the members of the Hundred Blades Alliance had found the ones who had been knocked down by me. A moment later, after the commotion died down and the sound of footsteps faded away, the old man resumed the conversation.

“It seems you have something to rely on, don’t you? You must have backups, right?”

“I don’t have anything like that.”

“Then what is it? Surely you’re not confident that you can survive after facing the supreme masters, the wart and the bald head?”

“…”

“Well, look at this brat. It seems you really are. Hah, are you mad, or did I misjudge you? No, that can’t be. Who do you think I am?”

“I am not mad.”

“What? Are you saying my judgment was wrong?”

“I never said that.”

The old man, who had been glaring at me as if he wanted to eat me alive, shook his head from side to side.

“This is not a fellow who will listen to words. I hate troublesome things, but since this is also fate, I’ll teach you a lesson in the name of saving a life. I’ll only use about a third of the martial power that the wart or the bald head possesses, so try your best. You’ll realize what a reckless thing you’re trying to do. If you still don’t get it after that, then you’re just mad, and I’ll go my own way. There’s no end to trying to save every madman.”

I rejoiced inwardly.

This was what I had been hoping for all along.

[End of Chapter]