Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon

Chapter 140: Trace of Chopsticks (2)

Back to less than a month after the war between the Cult of the Heavenly Demon and the Martial Alliance had broken out. 

Due to the war, the commercial area near the Qilian Mountains was actually booming. 

Since the Iron Sword Wind Cloud Fort would soon become a battlefield, many martial artists surged into the area.

It was not just martial artists. 

Merchants who made money from the war also began to gather around the Qilian Mountains.

The merchants in the area were quite busy. 

It wasn’t that they weren’t afraid of war. But wasn’t this a war that stayed between the martial artists of Murim? 

Very few civilians were involved in battles between Murim, except in special cases, like what happened in Qinghai. In addition, Iron Sword Yoon Jae-ryong was famous for his cooperation and character. 

Unlike in Qinghai, there was no exploitation of the civilians by the militia. 

In that situation, the merchants in the area happily set up shop. 

The Golden Sunset Inn was not an exception. 

They made food without rest and Kang So-san helped his sister serve the food without rest. 

“When is the stir-fried meat coming out here? ”

“A little more vegetables too! ”

“Another bottle! ”

The orders were neverending. 

In the meantime, it was clear that the workload was difficult for such a young boy. 

Moreover, Kang So-san was smaller than other children, making the physical labor even harder. 

Nevertheless, Kang So-san never stopped. 

It was because he knew that he was not the only one struggling. 

Noona must have it harder than me.

All he had to do was serve the food, but she had to stand in front of the fire and cook all day. 

He could feel the heat just standing close by, but she had to spend more than half the day in front of the flames. 

So Kang So-san did not rest. 

He continued to work, encouraging himself to keep going. It was past midnight by the time the guests left. 

Until then, Kang So-san and his sister worked tirelessly. 

If I had somewhere to lie down, I’d fall asleep right here.

But he did not rest. 

Instead, he sat on the floor and closed his eyes. As he began to repeat the mnemonics in his head, warmth bloomed beneath his naval. 

Kang So-san continued to meditate and this warmth spread throughout his body. 

Soon, warmth could be felt everywhere. 

So this is internal energy.

He had never learned about martial arts properly, but he had still heard a lot about it. That was how Kang So-san could determine who was truly strong. 

Whenever he repeated the verse Woon-seong taught him, energy would bloom in his dantian. 

How long had he been practicing?

Kang So-san slowly got up from his seat, taking one last deep breath. He then went to pick something up from the corner, near the cupboard. 

It was a stick wrapped in cloth.

No, it was not a stick. 

When the cloth was unwrapped, it revealed a cheap sword. 

It wasn’t very expensive.

It was a shabby sword that could be bought at a cheap price from any forge.

But Kang So-san stared at the sword like it was a treasure. 

He then slowly began to swing it while breathing. 

Shua, shua, shua. 

The sound of sword slashes cut through the air. 

The direction in which the sword moved was always constant. 

From the bottom left to the top left. The trajectory of the sword continued diagonally. 

This coincidentally matched with one mark carved into the inn’s walls. After some time, he stopped swinging to look at the marking. Then he started to swing once again. 

What was he thinking of?

Kang So-san grabbed his sword and stepped out of the inn. 

Moonlight shone through the clouds, illuminating the Qilian Mountains. 

The place where Kang So-san was headed was a stone bridge across the nearby river. 

The pillars supporting the bridge were wide and flat. 

Kang So-san grabbed his sword and stared at the stone bridge. 

He just looked for a while. 

The moonlight reflected across his blade and Kang So-san made a diagonal slash.Kagagaga-

Kang So-san’s sword scratched at the stone pillar, creating a diagonal gash. 

It was not a pattern made by the sword slicing through the stone, but a mark formed by scraping it down.

It was impossible for Kang So-san to cut stone less than a year after practicing martial arts. 

But Kang So-san was not disappointed. 

He compared Woon-seong’s markings to his own. 

Every time he looked at Woon-seong’s mark, the difference between them would naturally come to mind. 

If it were a tree and not stone, could my blade leave such a trace?

Kang So-san shook his head lightly as he asked himself. 

It doesn’t matter.

I have to try a little harder. 

Kang So-san grabbed his sword again, continuing to swing at the pillar. 

And there were eyes watching Kang So-san from a slight distance away. 

So-san.

It was his sister. 

Kang Ye-ha’s gaze was filled with a mixture of worry and pride. 

I worry that he is working too hard and not resting enough. 

But she was filled with pride at his determination to continue. 

She watched him until Kang So-san finished training. 

A wind blowing from somewhere rustled their clothing. 

Wheeing –

* * *

“Fantastic.”

Sa Ryong-hui, who visited the Golden Sunset Inn to eat, was amazed.

The New Dragon Battalion had settled inside the Qilian Mountains, but came to the village to scout the area. 

“It’s really amazing.”

As he continued to admire, the other members of the New Dragon Battalion gathered beside him. 

Despite the food being served, Sa Ryong-hui continued to admire the walls of the inn. 

“What’s so great about it? ”

“Please let me know too. ”

The ones who had approached were members of the Sichuan Tang Clan, including Tang So-bong. 

As soon as they approached, Sa Ryong-hui was awakened from his musings. Slightly embarrassed, he pointed to the wall with his finger. “Oh, pardon me. Isn’t that scar amazing?”

“You mean the blade mark?”

Their gazes shifted along where he was pointing. Peng Hak, who was sitting down, also moved his head, even though he wasn’t very interested. 

Where he was pointing, they saw the marks on the inn’s wall.

A small mark across the wall. 

“Oh, there’s really a scar.”

Seeing it, Tang Han-mae added, “It’s quite crude.”

Tang So-bong tilted her head and asked, “Isn’t it just a blade mark? What’s so great about some blade marking?”

She wouldn’t be the only one questioning. Tang Han-mae shook her head, Peng Hak snorted. 

“Hmph.”

Sa Ryong-hui shrugged at their actions, slowly approaching the wall of the inn. 

With the tip of his fingers, he swiped at the mark. It was smooth, like it was all one clear stroke. 

“It’s a straight slash. I can’t believe someone can swing a sword so perfectly…”

“Is that so hard? Even some random ten-year-old boy can swing a sword in a straight line,” Tang So-bong said.

Sa Ryong-hui shook his head. “It is simple, of course. But it is difficult to make such a straight cut like this. Among those who are confident that they can make such a cut, those who can do it perfectly can be counted on one hand.” 

“Is it so impressive?”

Sa Ryong-hui nodded. He continued to look at the mark with admiration. “It’s amazing because it’s just a straight slash, there’s no waste of power at all.”

His gaze turned to the edge of the mark. He then turned to look at the other walls of the inn, since this one had been cut to the depth of a knuckle. I knew it.

There was not a single crack in the walls of the inn. Apparently, although the mark seemed to be quite old, it looked exactly the same as the day it was made. 

A deadly sword. 

A sword of death used to cut the walls by a skilled swordsman. 

I can feel the stench of death here.

However, Sa Ryong-hui was not terribly repulsed. The sword might have been used to kill those of the Black Way. 

Saving people is not about the sword of life, but about the chivalrous heart. 

Suddenly, Sa Ryong-hui was curious about the person who left this sword mark. 

“Let me ask you something.” 

“Yes, sir. What is the problem?”

The one he asked was Kang So-san. 

Kang So-san felt strange to see these unknown martial artists keep staring at the traces on the inn’s wall. 

“Do you know who left that sword mark?” Sa Ryong-hui asked. 

Kang So-san titled his head, “That isn’t from a sword.”

At his words, Tang Han-mae and Tang So-bong looked up, confused. Even Peng Hak stood up. 

“Everyone can see that it’s a sword mark, but you’re saying it’s not? Is this little brat trying to trick us?”

As Peng Hak approached, Kang So-san stepped back unconsciously. 

“It really isn’t from a sword.”

“Hey, you little brat! ”

As Peng Hak became angrier and his voice got louder, someone else’s voice could be heard.

“It really is not a sword mark.”

“N-Noona!”

The group’s gaze shifted towards Kang Ye-ha. 

Kang Ye-ha picked up a pair of chopsticks from the cups on the table and said, “It was made by a chopstick, not a sword.”

“With chopsticks?”

Among the well-crafted swords, there were some with smoothened surfaces to help the flow of qi. 

The skill of the swordsman was so excellent I thought it had to be because of his weapon, but chopsticks?

Sa Ryong-hui pulled out a pair of chopsticks. “I’ll ask you again. You’re saying this is what made that sword mark?”

“Yes, he just pulled out a pair of chopsticks and made that mark.”

Sa Ryong-hui’s eyes shook at her words. Kangho is large and there are many strong people.

Sa Ryong-hui traced the marking with his finger. Immediately after, he looked at Kang So-san and asked, “Did he say he would take you with him if you could replicate this marking?”

Kang So-san nodded hurriedly. 

Sa Ryong-hui asked, “If you don’t mind, can you show me what you’ve practiced?”