Chapter 10

## Chapter 10. The Legacy of the Green Forest Tiger King

"Back off!"

My father pushed me back and thrust his sword at the shadow that lunged like lightning.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the sword clashed with claws.

"Ugh!"

My father, who had been pushed back, quickly regained his stance and glared at the enemy who had ambushed us.

Grrrr...

A giant tiger, as big as a house, was the true form of the shadow that had ambushed us.

The tiger slowly circled us, baring its sharp teeth.

"...The medicine seller said there might not be any traps, but there could be beasts."

"Son, you're a bit late with that information, don't you think?"

Without turning his head, my father, who was on guard against the tiger, glanced at me with his eyes.

I scratched my head.

"I didn't think it would really be here."

I recalled the words of the medicine seller in the prison.

- Ah, there was a small tiger living around the cabin.

- A tiger?

- I gave it a good thrashing for daring to attack me. I thought about eating it, but I was full, and I left it there to keep other animals away from the cabin.

- Is the tiger still alive?

- Who knows? Tigers usually don't live that long, but with the hot spring and the flow of spiritual energy in the area... Hmm. If it's still alive, it must have grown quite large. I should catch it when I leave. It would be good for my health.

- Tsk. You can't even control your appetite at your age.

- What? You brat! Do you want to die?

...That conversation is now a memory from decades ago.

If this giant tiger is the "small" tiger the Green Forest Tiger King mentioned...

"...It's almost a spirit creature now."

"Are you trying to get me riled up?"

"No, I'm not."

I avoided my father's piercing gaze and looked at the giant tiger, which was as big as three tigers combined.

Grrrr...

The tiger, displeased that its territory had been invaded, scratched the ground with its claws, digging deep trenches.

From the way it didn't immediately attack after the first failed attempt but instead remained on guard, it was clear that it was much smarter than an ordinary beast.

"Son, if we retreat, that thing probably won't chase us."

"Father, we could sell its fur and have a warm winter."

"...Poverty is a sin."

I watched my father, the head of the household, with his heavy shoulders, and slowly moved backward.

Grrrr...

The tiger's gaze remained fixed on my father.

It had judged me as no threat.

And in reality, I was almost no threat.

But even if the tiger was smart, it wouldn't think to take me as a hostage.

'So, I can watch safely from here.'

I found a suitable spot and called out to my father in a voice that wouldn't provoke the tiger.

"Father! I will pray for your victory from a distance!"

"Brat. We'll see how it ends."

After giving me a glance, my father stepped forward and charged at the tiger.

Roar!!

The tiger, responding to the attack, leaped and pounced on my father.

I marveled at the scene, where a first-rate swordsman and a beast moved like a painting.

'Impressive. Both of them.'

The tiger, having lived for nearly a century, was agile and had powerful muscles.

Its speed was such that even a first-rate martial artist would be caught off guard if they let their guard down.

And the force of its casual swipe could snap a thick tree.

Crack!

'With that kind of strength, it could easily dent an iron armor.'

Even ten skilled tiger hunters would fail to capture this tiger.

Not to mention, it would be difficult for even a first-rate martial artist to handle.

Fortunately, my father was a first-rate martial artist who had reached the peak of his skill.

"Ha!"

I saw my father use his full strength for the first time.

The fake Namgung Wook he faced during the Jinmu Hall incident was not a worthy opponent for him to show his true abilities.

His movements, honed over decades, were as smooth as water.

His footwork was powerful, and the tip of his sword glowed with a sharp aura.

'Just by his movements, he could be considered a peak master.'

Even in my days as a Blood Sect instructor, my father's techniques and footwork were nearly flawless.

It was evidence that he had never neglected his training even after retiring to the countryside.

"But why..."

I furrowed my brow as I watched my father's martial arts in action.

"...is it so frustrating?"

"Is it frustrating? Then come and fight!"

My father roared, having heard my words.

...Even in the middle of a fight with a tiger, his hearing was sharp.

Anyway, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with my father's current fighting style.

'What's clear is...'

He was firmly stuck at the wall between first-rate and peak master.

I had seen this situation a few times before.

'Most of the time, it's a mental issue, not a physical one.'

And I had a few experiences where I could offer useful help.

Let's see...

"Can I help?"

"Shut up, brat! You'll just get in the way if you interfere!"

My father, who had shouted, pressed the tiger even harder, his sword strikes becoming faster and more aggressive.

Roar!

But the tiger was no easy opponent.

Its agility and tough muscles meant that even when an attack succeeded, it usually only cut the surface of its skin.

My father's expression grew increasingly anxious.

"How dare a mere creature... Haa!"

With a shout, a blue sword aura began to emanate from the tip of my father's sword.

But the moment he saw the sword aura, my expression twisted.

"Father! Don't rush it!"

The biggest criterion for distinguishing between first-rate and peak master is the free use of sword aura.

Sword aura (劍氣) is one of the realms martial artists strive for, where internal energy is visibly channeled onto the sword and released outward.

The difference in power between a sword with and without sword aura is vast.

Unless it's an exceptional sword, a sword with sword aura can easily overpower one without.

Moreover, the ability to use sword aura means the ability to project energy outward and use it in various ways, making it possible for a peak master to face ten first-rate masters.

It's the realm that opens the path to true superhuman abilities.

'But this...'

Sometimes, in an attempt to generate more power, the footwork becomes disordered, the breathing becomes erratic, and the techniques become clumsy.

I wouldn't call such a martial artist a peak master.

Just like now.

Swish!

The sword with sword aura grazed the tiger's side.

Blood spurted from the tiger's waist, and it let out a roar.

Roar!

But my father had to pay the price for his clumsy attack.

Crash!

Even in pain, the tiger, driven by its wild instincts, lashed out with its front paw.

My father barely blocked it with his sword, but the force sent him flying over ten feet.

And there, unfortunately, was a large rock.

"Ugh!"

"Father!"

My father screamed in pain as if his back was breaking.

Blood gushed from his mouth, staining his chest.

Both were seriously injured.

But the tiger regained its composure first.

Roar!

It roared and pounced on my father.

With all its remaining strength, its speed was like a flash of lightning.

"Ugh..."

It seemed difficult for my father, who was still dazed, to avoid the attack.

At that moment, I threw the large rock I was holding with all my might.

Crash!

The rock hit the tiger's side, causing it to jump in pain.

I rushed to my father's side to support him.

"Are you okay?"

The tiger was hit by the rock, but for some reason, my father was more angry.

My father, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, glared at me.

"It's dangerous, so don't interfere. I'll handle that thing..."

"Your words don't carry much weight when you're bleeding. And if you die, I die too."

"Then you should run..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Roar!

The enraged tiger, bleeding from its side, approached with its eyes bloodshot.

I quickly hid behind my father and pushed him.

"Go fight. I'll cover you from behind."

"You...?"

I tossed another rock up and down as I spoke.

"Isn't it better for both of us to survive?"

"...Annoying brat."

With a sigh, my father charged at the tiger again.

I called out to his back.

"Now that you don't need it, don't use the sword aura! Aim for the side!"

"I know, brat!"

"If you knew, why did you do it just now?"

"...We'll see when we get home."

We'll see when we get home.

My father and the tiger engaged in another fierce battle.

Both were heavily injured, and their movements were slower than before, but the fight was even more dangerous with the smell of blood and the intense killing intent.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

I vigorously rotated my shoulders, ready to throw rocks at the tiger at any moment.

I could feel the tiger glancing at me, wary of my presence.

I smiled and met its gaze.

Crash!

The tiger, hit in the eye by a rock, lunged at me.

But I had a reliable bodyguard.

"That thing! Your opponent is me!"

My father tenaciously engaged the tiger, and I took the opportunity to pelt it with rocks, creating several bruises on its body.

'With a spirit creature of this level, it must have an inner core, right?'

My mouth was already watering.

* * *

Boom!

The sound of the tiger, as big as a house, falling was quite loud.

My father, after confirming that the tiger was dead by piercing its neck, leaned against its massive body.

"Huff... Huff... If I climb the mountain twice, I'll close the White Hall."

"Why close it? I can take over."

"You go home... Huff... I don't even have the strength to talk."

"Take a rest."

I cut open the tiger's belly to extract the inner core.

With the wounds my father had already inflicted, it wasn't too difficult.

"The inner core isn't as big as I thought."

"It's big enough. Catching a proper spirit creature is beyond our abilities."

The tiger's inner core was slightly larger than my thumb.

'This is just a bonus, anyway.'

Every part of a tiger, from its skin to its bones, meat, and organs, is valuable.

With this giant tiger, the White Hall's winter would be warm enough.

"Let's tidy up and go to the cabin."

We headed to the cabin, our true destination.

But we couldn't find any medicinal herbs inside the cabin.

"Where did he hide them..."

"Son! Come here!"

Responding to my father's call, I went to the back of the cabin.

A small field between the cabin and the hot spring.

Three ginseng plants were planted there.

My father, inspecting the ginseng, marveled.

"They must have been growing for at least a few hundred years."

Thanks to the many doctors he consulted for Baeksoolong's treatment, my father was well-versed in medicinal herbs.

That's why his expression was subtle.

"Though it's a rare medicinal herb..."

I knew what my father was going to say.

Three ginseng plants are far from enough to cure the Thousand Sound Meridian.

He must have given his son more medicinal herbs than the three here.

'But that was when he didn't know the method.'

Curing the Thousand Sound Meridian and transforming it into the Thousand Sound Divine Meridian.

It's impossible without knowing the method, even with the Great Revitalizing Pill from Shaolin.

But I know the method.

The problem is that even selling hundreds of such ginseng plants wouldn't cover the cost.

I carefully dug up the ginseng and asked my father.

"Can I eat all of this?"

I expected him to say, "Is it only for you?" (I was planning to give him one plant), but my father surprisingly nodded.

"At my age, there's no point in taking medicinal herbs."

"Well, a lonely widower practicing martial arts... it would just be a waste..."

Smack!

I got a hit for my careless comment.

'At least this will help lay the foundation.'

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

These three ginseng plants will be the foundation for changing my constitution in the future.

I stood up from the field and said to my father.

"Since we're here, why don't we take a hot spring bath?"

There was a small hot spring next to the cabin.

The mist from the hot spring added to the mysterious atmosphere of the place.

Mengsifu had also talked about the hot spring.

- And there's an excellent hot spring next to the cabin. I built the cabin there because of the hot spring.

- Maybe something like... sitting in the hot spring and practicing internal energy, which would make your internal energy grow several times faster, or the fatigue in your muscles would be relieved, allowing you to train without rest...

- Tsk tsk. You should have higher expectations. Do you think such fortuitous events are scattered in the mountains? Brat! If that were the case, the martial world would have been unified by bandits long ago!

- ...If not, why the embarrassment? Mengsifu, there won't be any meat dishes today.

- Ah, you despicable brat!

'Now that's all in the past.'

I smiled, recalling my conversation with Mengsifu.

I walked toward the hot spring without much thought.

With our tasks completed and fatigue accumulated, I planned to relax in the hot spring.

Swoosh.

I dipped my finger in to check the temperature and looked into the water.

A moment later, I froze.

"Why are you like that?"

"...Mengsifu. You stupid brat."

"Who is Mengsifu?"

"...No, this... most grateful brat."

"Son, are you okay?"

What? Do you think fortuitous events are scattered in the mountains?

Then what is this in front of me?

I never thought the Green Forest Tiger King would have such poor eyesight to miss a fortuitous event right in front of him.

'Well, what can you expect from someone who relied on his body all his life and never cared about weapons?'

I barely turned my head to look at my father.

"Father, the ginseng isn't the issue now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at that."

My gaze was fixed on a fist-sized, dark blue stone at the center of the hot spring, emitting a faint blue light.

In my past life, I had seen a metal of the same color only once.

'...Even for a moment, how could I forget it?'

The metal that was embedded in my chest.

The legendary metal used to forge the Blood Sect Master's sword.

'It's certain. This is meteoric iron (隕石).'