Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Chapter 66: After the Storm… (1)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 6

Manhwa: Chapter 60

“Hoo!”

A suppressed sigh escaped from Lee Gwak’s lips as he watched Han Socheon disappear into the distance. Beads of cold sweat were forming on his forehead.

“You don’t look very well— are you alright?”

Beside him, Seok Yi-cheon looked at Lee Gwak with a worried expression.

Lee Gwak forced a smile.

“I’m fine.”

But in truth, he wasn’t fine at all.

His current physical condition was a mess. His internal organs were shaken, and his qi and blood were in complete disarray. Most severe of all were his external injuries—wounds so deep that some of his bones were exposed in various parts of his body.

Lee Gwak had tightly wrapped all those injuries with cloth and concealed them under a loose, brown robe. Because of this, the members of the Outer Hall squad hadn’t realized he was critically injured. They only assumed he looked pale because he wasn’t feeling well.

Ki Jinhwi also looked at Lee Gwak with concern.

“Squad Leader, stop forcing yourself and go rest. The Jianghu Grand Conference is over anyway, so it won’t be a big deal if one squad leader is absent.”

Over the past three days, the Jianghu Grand Conference had been held aboard the Sea King Ship.

Because the conference took place in the middle of Dongting Lake, ordinary people like Lee Gwak or the members of Squad 13 had no idea who attended or what topics were discussed.

The Sea King Ship had vanished as abruptly as it appeared. It evaporated like morning dew, leading people to assume the Jianghu Grand Conference had concluded.

The same went for the Gathering of the Young Supremes. While it had reportedly taken place in the annex, access was strictly prohibited for the general public, so no one knew which prominent figures had attended.

Those who had traveled long distances to witness the Jianghu Grand Conference came to a stark realization:

The Jade Heaven Alliance was an entirely different world.

The walls surrounding that other world were so high and thick that they couldn’t even hope to catch a glimpse of it.

It was no different for the martial artists of the Outer Hall.

Although they had certainly tightened their defenses more than usual, they hadn’t even seen the shadow of those who attended the Jianghu Grand Conference.

The self-deprecation they felt was indescribable, as they were reminded once again that they were nothing more than extras.

“Please go in and rest, Squad Leader. There’s not much time left in your shift anyway, so it’ll be fine.”

When even Cheon-wol spoke with such a worried expression, Lee Gwak couldn’t refuse.

In the end, Lee Gwak nodded.

“Alright, I’ll head in first.”

“Good! Don’t worry about things here and go rest.”

“Rest well. We’ll call you right away if something comes up.”

After leaving a few words of advice with them, Lee Gwak headed straight home.

Cold sweat was pouring down his body, but he still managed to smile.

He could smile because he was able to see Han Socheon off.

That was the reason Lee Gwak had pushed himself to take on the gatekeeping duty.

Hoping that Han Socheon would return safely next time, Lee Gwak took faltering steps forward.

As soon as Lee Gwak arrived home, he locked the door and removed his clothes. The white cloth tightly wrapped around his body beneath his robe was soaked through with blood, stained a deep crimson.

Lee Gwak began unwrapping the cloth.

Rip!

The cloth, stuck to his wounds, tore away with excruciating pain. Yet, Lee Gwak gritted his teeth and endured.

When the last of the cloth was removed, his body was a sight too horrifying to behold. Wounds gaped open like fish gills across his body, and blood still oozed from injuries that had yet to scab over.

“Hah…”

Lee Gwak let out a quiet sigh and walked naked to the well. Drawing water directly from the well, he poured it over his head. The blood washed away in an instant, but the pain from his wounds flared intensely. Even so, he didn’t so much as flinch.

In a way, the pain was a relief— it reminded him that he was still alive.

The true agony was when he felt nothing at all.

The most agonizing period in Lee Gwak’s life was when he suffered complete paralysis of his limbs after falling victim to Gwan Il-hyeon’s fit of rage.

If he had to go through that terrifying experience of not being able to feel anything below his neck again, he was certain he would lose his mind.

It was only thanks to learning the Yoga Secret Manual that Han Socheon had given him that he was able to escape that nightmare. But he never wanted to return to that time.

After carefully wiping away the moisture from his body, Lee Gwak meticulously applied wound medicine to his injuries. Then, he rewrapped the wounds with fresh white cloth before putting his robe back on.

By the time he finished, exhaustion was written all over his face.

He lay down on the wooden platform and stared up at the sky.

The past few days had been nothing short of a storm.

The turmoil had been unimaginable, and he was tattered from head to toe. Yet, despite everything, he could still smile.

It was because he had successfully saved Han Socheon.

That was enough for Lee Gwak.

On the day he returned from killing Dark Cloud Reaper, Lee Gwak had teetered on the very brink of life and death. It was only thanks to the Eight Snakes Art that he was able to survive.

Although Lee Gwak had lost consciousness, the Eight Snakes Art had autonomously worked to heal his body.

Currently, within Lee Gwak’s body, there coexisted a massive serpent formed by the union of five snakes and a sixth serpent. Normally, both snakes required his will to act in unison, but this time was different.

When Lee Gwak’s life was in jeopardy, the two serpents, which usually acted independently, moved with a single will. The two snakes purified his corrupted internal energy and aided in healing his wounds.

Thanks to their efforts, Lee Gwak passed the critical juncture within a day. By the second day, he was able to briefly show himself at the Outer Hall, just in case the Jade Heaven Alliance harbored suspicions.

Fortunately, the Jade Heaven Alliance, while investigating the person who had killed the Dark Cloud Reaper, did not suspect Lee Gwak in the slightest.

To them, Lee Gwak, who was merely a squad leader of the Outer Hall, was not worthy of suspicion in the first place.

They focused their inquiries on martial artists who had come from outside. This allowed Lee Gwak to breathe a sigh of relief.

On the third day, which was today, he deliberately volunteered to guard the main gate. It was to see Han Socheon off.

Now that he had watched Han Socheon leave, he could finally focus on circulating his internal energy in peace.

Rising to his feet, Lee Gwak sat cross-legged and began utilizing the Eight Snakes Art.

The large serpent and the sixth serpent awakened almost simultaneously and started moving according to his will.

The two serpents roamed freely within Lee Gwak’s body.

They purified the corrupted energy and healed his internal injuries.

Shhhh!

A faint haze rose from Lee Gwak’s shoulders. It was a phenomenon where the impure energy inside his body was being expelled externally.

Lee Gwak lost track of time, wholly immersed in circulating his internal energy

It wasn’t until the next morning that he opened his eyes again. He had spent an entire day completely absorbed in internal energy circulation.

As Lee Gwak inspected his body, his eyes lit up.

‘My internal energy has become even deeper.’

Compared to before his battle with the Dark Cloud Reaper, his power had increased by leaps and bounds. And that wasn’t the only gain he had made.

The greatest gain was that fighting the Dark Cloud Reaper had opened his eyes to a new understanding in deploying techniques and energy control.

If his martial arts before had been merely lifeless techniques practiced against imaginary or stationary opponents, the battle with the Dark Cloud Reaper transformed them into living martial arts.

Lee Gwak realized his weaknesses and was now able to determine the direction in which he needed to develop.

‘The foundation of my martial arts lies in the Eight Sects Sword Art. No matter how many additions I make to it, I cannot escape its framework.’

The Eight Sects Sword Art, as a sword technique developed in the military, was simple and crude. This naturally resulted in a lack of variation.

By conventional wisdom, the correct course would have been to add more advanced techniques to increase its complexity. However, Lee Gwak decided to take the opposite approach.

‘Simpler, faster, stronger…’

Having too many variations wasn’t always an advantage. Moreover, it didn’t suit Lee Gwak’s nature.

As much as he wanted to do what he had in mind, now was not the time. Healing his wounds, both internal and external, came first.

Training would come later.

Lee Gwak stood up.

After a quick wash, the place he headed to was none other than Ma Duwon’s residence.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Ma Duwon greeted him while lying on his bed.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m still alive, so I suppose that means I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

“It’s all thanks to you. Thank you, Lee Gwak!”

“It was nothing.”

“There’s no need to be so humble.”

Ma Duwon’s eyes, as he looked at Lee Gwak, were filled with warmth.

Perhaps it was because he had crossed the boundary between life and death, but his expression was much softer than before.

If not for the elixir Lee Gwak had given him, he would no longer be of this world.

The medicine had saved him just as he was about to breathe his last. It was obviously a rare treasure, one that could not be obtained even for a thousand gold. The fact that Lee Gwak had given it to him without hesitation filled Ma Duwon with gratitude.

“I always seem to owe you a debt. How can I ever repay you?”

“I didn’t do it expecting to be repaid.”

“I know. But my heart won’t let it go. I can’t think of anything appropriate right now, but I’ll make sure to repay this debt before I leave for the countryside.”

“Are you thinking of… retiring from Jianghu?”

Lee Gwak’s voice wavered as he spoke.

Ma Duwon’s gaze shifted to the window, looking out at the world beyond.

“Yes. After coming back from the brink of death, everything feels meaningless. I used to take pride in doing great things for Jianghu, but when faced with death, none of it seemed to matter. You could say my spirit is broken. So, if that’s the case, I think it might be better to retire from Jianghu and focus on nurturing young talents in the countryside.”

“Will the Jade Heaven Alliance accept your retirement, Master Ma?”

“It won’t be easy.”

Ma Duwon smiled bitterly.

The value he held within the Jade Heaven Alliance was by no means small. Having worked in the Creation Pavilion, he had access to many secrets. The Jade Heaven Alliance would definitely not let him go easily.

“Even then, I’m still going to try. I’ll argue that my body is in such poor condition that I simply can’t continue working for the Jade Heaven Alliance. That’s not far from the truth, so they won’t be able to stop me forever.”

“Hmm!”

“If they accept my retirement, they’ll likely arrange a residence for me not far from the Jade Heaven Alliance. They’ll probably assign bodyguards to protect me as well. Although my range of movement will be restricted, I should be able to live without any direct involvement with the Jade Heaven Alliance.”

“I truly hope things go as you wish, Master Ma.”

“I hope so, too.”

Ma Duwon’s self-deprecating smile deepened. Lee Gwak looked at Ma Duwon like that wordlessly.

What had started as a simple work relationship had grown into a genuine bond between the two. Thinking about their imminent separation, Lee Gwak couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret.

“Oh, by the way, don’t worry— I haven’t spoken a word about you to anyone.”

“Pardon?”

“I also handled the aftermath of that incident for you, so there’s no need to worry about it being discovered.”

“Thank you.”

“I already told you, didn’t I? I owe you a debt of gratitude. It’s only right for me to handle this before it causes you any trouble.”

By now, Ma Duwon knew how great Lee Gwak’s actual martial prowess was. If someone like Lee Gwak, who was only a mere Outer Hall warrior, were found to possess such martial arts, it was clear what measures the Jade Heaven Alliance would take. Ma Duwon could imagine it all too well.

First, they would imprison him in a dungeon and subject him to torture.

They would demand to know where he learned his martial arts and for what purpose he was infiltrating the Outer Hall.

No matter how much Lee Gwak might insist that he will have mastered his martial arts on his own, it would be of no use. The Jade Heaven Alliance would never believe him.

The Jade Heaven Alliance was fundamentally a place built on suspicion, and the people living here never trusted others easily.

They questioned everything and dug into matters until they were satisfied. If, even after all that, they remained unconvinced, they would destroy a person as easily as a child would destroy a toy.

That was why Ma Duwon had hidden the miracle that was Lee Gwak.

Although Ma Duwon intended to retire from Jianghu, he still planned to watch from afar to see how far Lee Gwak could grow.

“Once your body recovers, come see me every evening.”

“Pardon?”

“I will entrust you with my legacy.”

Lee Gwak’s eyes widened at Ma Duwon’s words.

Seeing his reaction, Ma Duwon gave him a faint smile.

“There’s no need to be so surprised. At your current level, you’ll be able to handle my teachings without difficulty.”

“But…”

“There’s no point in arguing. My resolve is firm. I’m going to retire from Jianghu anyway, so what’s the point in keeping my knowledge to myself? It’s much better for you to learn it and carry it forward.”

“Thank you.”

Seeing Ma Duwon’s firm resolve, Lee Gwak suddenly rose to his feet. He then bowed deeply to Ma Duwon.

One bow, two bows… altogether, he bowed nine times.

It was a gesture that signified that Lee Gwak was accepting Ma Duwon as his master in the art of trap mechanisms.

He was the first master Lee Gwak had ever formally acknowledged in his life.

Ma Duwon did not stop him. It was his way of acknowledging Lee Gwak as his disciple. Although he could not publicly announce it to the world, Lee Gwak would be the only student to inherit his knowledge of trap mechanisms.

“I will teach you everything I know.”

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