Chapter 14: Spring Flowers and the Sword (1)

Four days later,

Having fully enjoyed my paid leave, I prepared to return to the courier agency. It was the first day I had gone to work since the day I killed Baek Seung-il. The sun seemed particularly bright today.

"Truly a beautiful day. The birds are chirping, and the flowers are blooming..."

Whistling, I headed to work, and Gang Pyodu called me over, handing me a satchel.

"You must have had a tough time last time. This is 70 nyang of silver as a reward."

70 nyang!

My eyes widened immediately. It was an unbelievable sum of money.

"50 nyang is from the Jeonggajang, and 20 nyang is from us. You must have had a tough time with the Baek Seung-il case."

Gang Pyodu's flattery didn't really register. 70 nyang, an unimaginable sum of money. I had been living on 70 copper coins, trembling with each use, and now I had 70 nyang of silver.

It was a fortune I had never even seen in modern times.

As I marveled at the fortune, Gang Pyodu asked casually,

"By the way, where do you plan to use it?"

"I need to think about it from now on."

"Hmm. You... Are you thinking of buying a house?"

How did he know?

I was startled and looked at him, and Gang Pyodu smiled as if he had expected it.

"Usually, when people get a large sum of money, they start thinking about such things."

"Of course, that's only natural. My current house is a shanty, making it uncomfortable to live in and difficult to go to work..."

Real estate is always a safe bet.

As I was about to say this, Gang Pyodu clicked his tongue and wagged his finger.

"What does a courier do?"

"Well, delivery... Ah!"

"Exactly. Now do you understand?"

Couriers carry goods from one place to another. The problem is that this movement isn't always a round trip.

For example, if you carry goods from area A to area B, you don't just walk back to area A empty-handed. People who walk for a living wouldn't do such a foolish thing. Once you arrive in area B, you wait for a few days until you get a job to go back to area A.

Sometimes, if there's no suitable job, you might get a job to go from area B to area C, and then from area C to area A.

After such a round trip, it's common for two months to pass by the time you return to area A.

"That's why, if you don't have a family, it's better not to buy a house. You'll be away more often than you're there."

It was a reasonable piece of advice. I immediately gave up on the idea of real estate. Indeed, as he said, for a single person like me, real estate had little meaning.

Then, where should I use this fortune?

As I was pondering, Gang Pyodu offered some advice.

"If you're not sure, how about investing in our Baegun Courier Agency?"

"No, that's fine."

"Every year, we give investors 10% of the profits..."

"Really, it's fine."

He's suggesting I buy unlisted stocks. Is this guy crazy?

As my eyes narrowed, Gang Pyodu cleared his throat a few times and offered another piece of advice.

"What about... a good opportunity, but if you don't like it, there's nothing I can do. How about buying weapons?"

"Weapons? Hmm... but are good weapons really useful?"

At my question, Gang Pyodu looked puzzled.

"Of course, weapons are useful. What do you mean?"

"Last time, when I fought Baek Seung-il, he emitted a sword aura. When I clashed with it, my sword was cut in half."

"Ah, a sword aura."

"Yes. I thought I was going to die. The sword was cut into pieces."

"When you clash with a sword aura, that's what happens. Unless it's a top-notch sword, it will break."

"Then, even the best weapons will break when they clash with a sword aura. In that case, wouldn't it be better to have a cheap weapon and know how to emit a sword aura?"

At my logical question, Gang Pyodu hummed and said,

"But that's not always the case. Among the many martial artists in the world, those who can emit a sword aura are rare."

"What about you?"

"I can do it."

He immediately drew his sword and emitted a sword aura. A blue aura immediately surged from the sword.

"Baek Seung-il couldn't do it so easily..."

"Probably because he's at the initial stage of a first-class level. At that level, you can't freely emit a sword aura; you can only do it through specific techniques. It's not efficient because it consumes a lot of inner energy."

After sheathing his sword, Gang Pyodu continued,

"Unless you encounter such a rare person, the quality of your weapon often determines the outcome of a fight."

"Based on the quality of the weapon?"

"Yes. Cheap swords will break when they clash, but good swords are made with mixed steel, which allows them to bend slightly. Such swords won't break even after several clashes. Additionally, you can use this property to add slight variations to your techniques. In the world of martial arts, such small differences can mean the difference between life and death."

It made sense. After all, if there were no difference in weapons, why would good weapons be popular?

I once saw some seniors carrying a Songmun Sword, which had a faint pattern on the blade, making it look like a work of art.

According to Gang Pyodu, this wasn't just for show; there were reasons behind it.

"Besides, swords are easy to sell. If you take good care of them, their value doesn't decrease, so they're useful when you need money urgently."

Like a car.

The fact that the value doesn't depreciate much is a significant advantage.

"Then, should I get a Songmun Sword like the seniors?"

"Probably. It's a bit expensive, but..."

"Then, is there a way to avoid getting ripped off when buying one...?"

"If you try to buy it from a blacksmith, it won't work..."

We talked about swords for a long time. Gang Pyodu's knowledge of swords was impressive.

'Is he a sword enthusiast?'

After talking for a while, he said he would help me find a good one, so I should wait and use the standard-issue sword for now.

"This sword is pretty good. Even though it's standard issue, it's quite usable. You can see from the blade..."

* * *

After being subjected to Gang Pyodu's sword talk for almost half a day, I went to visit Senior Jokunpyeong, who was in the hospital.

The senior, lying in bed, looked better than expected. When he saw me, he perked up, got up, and grabbed my hand.

"I really thought I was going to die. I'm so grateful."

"Oh, no. I'm glad you're feeling better."

He held my hand, his eyes welling up with tears.

"After being cut by Baek Seung-il, the first thing that came to mind was that I wanted to live. I thought I had to survive no matter what... I believed I had become indifferent to death after living by the sword in the world of martial arts, but I was wrong. I wanted to live. Very much."

Senior Jokunpyeong had the look of someone who had come back from the dead and had many realizations.

People are like that. You only realize how much you want to live after facing a life-threatening situation.

I had only thought about dying after falling into the world of martial arts, but after being stabbed, I realized I wanted to live no matter what.

"You can't abandon your comrades. I just did what was natural."

"Couriers never abandon their comrades. But it's not easy to live up to that. If it weren't for your sense of righteousness, I would have died."

"Your words make me feel embarrassed."

I scratched my head.

"If there's any wish I can grant, I'll do it."

A wish.

Actually, I do have one.

After falling into the world of martial arts and rolling around for three years, I acquired a few secret manuals and learned some martial arts. Mainly basic techniques like the Samjae Heart Method, Samjae Sword Technique, and Six Harmonies Fist. I also learned the Baegun Sword Technique this time.

After practicing, I realized these weren't inferior techniques. In my opinion, if I master them, they won't be bad.

But still...

I want to have a secret technique.

"Then, do you know any fatal techniques?"

"Fatal technique (必殺技)? A technique that definitely (必) kills (殺) (技)?"

"It sounds a bit scary when you put it that way, but something like that."

"......If I knew such a technique, would I have been in a life-threatening situation with Baek Seung-il?"

That's true. If he knew such a technique, he wouldn't have been in that situation. It's like asking a blind person if a certain color is pretty.

Senior Jokunpyeong looked flustered, and I looked awkward.

"That's true."

As I scratched my head and felt embarrassed, Senior Jokunpyeong said, "Hmm..." and thought for a moment before pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to me. It was a small metal plaque.

"I don't know any such great techniques, but I should repay the person who saved my life. This might be helpful."

"What is this?"

On the front of the metal plaque, "Gratitude (感謝)" was engraved, and on the back, "Tang Family (唐家)" was engraved.

"Once, while on a mission in Sichuan, I happened to save a member of the Tang Family. This is the gratitude plaque I received then. It's not a big deal, but if you take it to the Tang Family and ask for help, they might do something for you."

"Is this the famous Sichuan Tang Family's gratitude plaque?"

The Sichuan Tang Family.

Famous for poison, hidden weapons, and stormy weather.

"Yes. The Tang Family of Sichuan. This is their gratitude plaque."

They had a unique family motto: "Thoroughly repay kindness and enmity (恩怨徹底)."

They repay kindness and enmity thoroughly. That was their motto.

"Thoroughly" didn't just mean they had good credit ratings; it was more like they had a bit of paranoia. They would give you a gratitude plaque for even a small favor, and if you wronged them, they would write it down and wait for an opportunity to repay it.

Maybe because they use poison and hidden weapons, they get ostracized and have a bit of a persecution complex, which led to this motto.

I bowed my head in gratitude.

"If it's the Sichuan Tang Family's gratitude plaque, it will definitely be helpful. Thank you, Senior."

"It's nothing compared to the help I received. Thank you again, Junior."

Since I received such a thing, I felt I should give him something in return.

"By the way, I promised to teach you how to read."

"It's fine. I can't teach you martial arts directly, so don't worry about it."

"Well, I brought it just in case."

I took out the Thousand Character Classic from my bag and handed it to him. I remembered the time I had to memorize it while being beaten mercilessly, and it felt nostalgic. If he learns it this way, he might learn quickly.

"This is the basic Thousand Character Classic."

The senior, unsure of what to do, eventually opened the book. I took out a flute from my bag and held it in my hand.

"Let's start. This character is 'heaven' (天), and this one is 'earth' (地)... No, let's focus. Focus."

That day, the senior learned four characters.