The Teacher’s Grace Is Like Heaven

23 – No Retreat (2)

My nightmares have been getting worse lately. It’s as if he’s chastising me for forgetting that day. Like a thorn sprouted in my throat.

Even swallowing food was a struggle. What does this mean? I hope it’s just a freak accident.

It was still dark outside. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately because of my nightmares. But what can I do?

It’s all karma, self-inflicted. I swung the sword again. Again, and again, and again. Over and over again. Better this way.

When I stopped swinging, the memories of that day came back like a nightmare. I can’t get their screams out of my head.

I wonder if they blame me. If only I hadn’t been defeated, if only I hadn’t fled the scene. If only…… they hadn’t died.

In the end, all of this is my karma to bear. I stopped swinging my sword at the sound of the child behind me.

I sheathed my wooden sword and looked up. The infernal darkness that had fallen was gone. Instead, the sun was rising in the distance.

“Are you awake, my dear?”

“No, Master.”

“Bring me a towel.”

“I’ll clean you up.”

“…….”

“I’ll clean you up.” I couldn’t resist the overly assertive tone. As usual, I untied my forelock and wiped my body with the cold moisture of the towel.

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What an enthusiastic way to clean yourself. A drop of sweat trickled down Bie Yan’s forehead. I wiped the sweat from her forehead with my hand.

After looking at me with a blank expression for a moment, her face quickly turned red, and she turned away with a snap. I smiled and said.

“What are you ashamed of?”

“Sin, I’m sorry. Master.”

“It’s okay because you’re cute.”

“You, you’re too much!”

I smiled and patted Biyun’s slightly annoyed head. She wore a pouty expression on her face, but it soon melted away.

Come to think of it, she’s now 13 years old, and a lot has happened in that time.

After a moment’s thought, I nodded and said. “I have a place to go. Would you like to come with me?”

“I’d be happy to.”

“Yes, but it’s not a very nice place.”

“That’s okay, though.”

Perhaps it’s time to tell you about the things I’ve done in the past, my karma.

It was only natural that she would be disappointed. Even I was disappointed in myself. How could I not be disappointed as a disciple. I took a heavy step forward.

Soon, the neatly organized streets of Seomseo came into view.

There was a library nearby that taught writing, and there were quite a few bookstores selling books. Of course, they don’t get much attention except from Jegalese and scholars, but business seems to be good.

I bought a modest artificial flower from a vendor near the bookstore. There were artificial flowers in China, too.

There were also some that were made for funeral offerings. Holding the white chrysanthemum, I walked to the place I visited every day.

“In the past, there was a young man.”

“I am listening, Master.”

“The young man was a clueless subject, but he was full of confidence.”

A young man who loved martial arts was reincarnated in the martial arts world, like a novel. He felt like he was the main character.

So he tried to learn martial arts and techniques somehow. Even if it was just the three swords and three gongs that were scattered all over the place.

I thought that once I mastered martial arts, I could become anything. Like the characters in novels. Like the characters in the novels.

“I fought many fights, indeed, but I never won a single one.”

“But wasn’t the young man alone?”

“Yes, he was, but he was so arrogant, so foolish.”

“…….”

“That’s how I saw the protagonist in the novel: building up his mu with bone-crushing training, finding the right kung fu, and walking forward.”

“So, I did the same thing. When I saw an injustice, I never let it go. If I thought it was wrong, I threw myself into the fray without hesitation.

Although I was a third-rate swordsman with only a three-handed sword and a three-handed ball, I didn’t stop. However, for two years, I didn’t win a single victory.

“It was my arrogance that got the better of me.”

“My opponent was simply too strong.”

“But what can I do, such is the outcome.”

“…….”

“And finally, the day came.”

It was at an inn where I was a frequent guest. The owner and his wife cared for me like their own children. I served them as I would my own parents.

That day, as usual, I stopped by for a meal. And I bumped into him. I’ve had more than my fair share of drunken fights at the table.

Most of the time, a coworker stops them. Rarely do they end in stabbings, for a variety of reasons, including mutual pain and honor.

‘Just a little something to drink. I never thought I’d see blood.’

‘Please, please spare us!’

‘We don’t know anything! Just once! Just once!’

‘Well, what shall we do with you……?’

There were few guests, but the usually peaceful table was stained with blood.

Inside, two of my parents were on their knees, ejaculating.

If I hadn’t stepped in then, if I hadn’t stepped forward, if I hadn’t challenged him to a fight,

they would still be alive today. Not thinking about it, I ran forward. ‘Will you not sheathe that sword at once?’

‘…….’

‘Do you see…… now, or do you command me?His graying hair, just touching his waist, swayed. I didn’t dare look up, facing the fierce glow of his eyes.

I felt as if I were facing a ferocious beast. My body began to shake with fear. But I gritted my teeth and spoke to him.

“Yes, this is an order.”

I couldn’t stand it. How dare you point your bloody sword at them. They are the ones who took me in when I was abandoned. They have helped me so much.

Thanks to them, I didn’t starve, I was able to learn to read, and I was able to earn enough money to become a three-handed swordsman and a three-handed smith.

So, I couldn’t help myself. At my words, the young man smiled, a smile as innocent as a child’s. The young man laughed and said

‘You say funny things.’

‘…….’

‘Draw your sword, and they will survive.’

Sure enough, it was a beautiful day outside. However, there was thunder and lightning all around. Suddenly, I looked up.

The figure of a young man, who was obviously about my height, suddenly seemed very large, like a giant. His red eyes were fixed on me.

He was smiling. He seemed to be enjoying the whole situation. But each word he spoke weighed down on me like a ton of bricks.

‘But instead…… you die.’

‘If you draw your sword, you will die for sure. You will die. My body shook with fear. I wanted to flee at once, but I gritted my teeth and held on.

They are the ones who saved me from certain death, and they are like my parents. How dare I leave them behind and run away.”

“So, you drew your sword?”

“And I was defeated.”

“…….”

“We’ve finally arrived.”

We’ve reached the base of the mountain. It was a nice, sunny spot with a good view of the island, and there were two sepulchers, each with a headstone in front of it. I laid down the harmony I had procured in silence at the headstone. I didn’t bring any alcohol. He didn’t like it.

Still, I remembered the day. Abandoned by parents who weren’t really parents, wandering the streets, they called me in, fed me, and said, “Young lady, this is the truth your master has been hiding.”

“You’ve been a nobody all your life.”

“…….”

When I came to, I was lying on the ground, hundreds of paces away from the table. My body was motionless. The veins in my body felt like they were on fire.

“I never won.”

No, I didn’t. No, he wouldn’t. He must have been evacuated. With tears in her eyes, she continued to run forward, breaking up the wreckage with her bare hands.

“I could not even save those I had served as parents all my life.”

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I broke down the pillars of the carriage, clearing away the deeply buried rubble. They were there. Torn to shreds, their forms unrecognizable.

“A halfpenny with a …… mouth, a third-rate mute.”

He could not save his benefactor, nor could he avenge him. If such a loser was not a third-rate, what else could he be called?

“That’s me.”

“Master, that’s……!!!”

“Is that the grave of the guest master and his wife?”

“……?!”

A voice came from behind me. How could I forget this voice, a voice I had never forgotten, not even for a moment in my life.

“The fried rice and dumplings were especially delicious.”

No, I couldn’t forget the voice. I turned my head. A wave of graying hair, reaching just past my waist, swayed, and I saw fierce red eyes.

Everything was the same. Even the smile he wore now was the same.

“So…… you lured him here for revenge?”

I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but…… doesn’t matter.

This time, I’ll make sure to kill him.