Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Swords were with swords, sabers with sabers, armor with armor. Protective vests were even stacked neatly.

This didn’t mean they were cheap, though. The quality was far superior to what was sold in ordinary weapon shops.

I chose the best saber among them. It was meant for Gwang-du.

“How much is this?”

“Oh! You have quite an eye.”

The old man recognized that I had picked the highest quality saber among those displayed outside.

“It’s 6,000 nyang. Actually, this saber could be placed inside without issue.”

“There’s damage to the handle and scabbard.”

“Good observation. That’s why it had to be put outside.”

Otherwise, it could have easily fetched 10,000 nyang.

It wasn’t quite a treasure saber, but it was too good to be considered an ordinary one. Perfect for Gwang-du. With his current skill level, he couldn’t handle anything better than this.

“I’ll take this one.”

“A very wise decision.”

This time, I chose a sword for Gwan Hwi. Again, it was the best-made sword among those on display.

The price was 2,000 nyang.

The old man’s eyes widened as he spoke.

“Are you perhaps from a weapon shop background?”

I found it bothersome to explain, so I just agreed.

“I thought so! Your eye for selecting weapons is remarkable.”

He then took another look at the sword on my waist. He seemed to regret calling it shabby earlier. His expression showed he wanted me to draw it, but I had no intention of satisfying his curiosity.

Just as I was about to leave after buying only the sword and saber, something caught my eye in the distance.

“What are those?”

In a corner display case, something was lined up. As I approached for a closer look, I saw they were small wooden figurines about the size of an index finger. They were very old, worn, and shabby. Several had paint peeling off, making them unsightly, but strangely, they captured my attention.

The figurines were each in different poses. Some were throwing punches, others were kicking. Some had their shoulders thrust forward, while others were in a posture of striking backwards with their back.

None held weapons. At first glance, it looked like a martial art, but unlike techniques that mainly use fists, these figurines were using all parts of their body.

These figurines gave off a peculiar feeling, and when I counted, there were thirty-three of them.

“Are these for sale too?”

“Of course. Nothing in here isn’t for sale.”

“How much?”

“I don’t sell them individually. The whole set is 2,000 nyang.”

I turned to the old man in surprise.

“This set of figurines is the only one in the world. It’s not even available at other Black Market branches. In all my years of running this business, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’ll buy it.”

“Really?”

The old man was shocked.

“No one has ever offered to buy these figurines for 2,000 nyang before.”

While treasured swords and elixirs might trade for tens of thousands of nyang, that’s because they’re literally elixirs and swords. They’re the most important things for martial artists. In reality, 2,000 nyang was an enormous sum.

“There’s always a first time for everything.”

The old man looked somewhat regretful despite having made a sale. He revealed his honest feelings.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t want to sell these. Looking at them displayed up there always made me feel good for some reason. So I set an exorbitant price hoping no one would buy them. But here you are, taking them. Consider the 2,000 nyang as payment for my regret.”

The old man was mistaken. I had turned to him in surprise because I thought they were too cheap.

I perceived their value to be much higher. Even if they had cost 5,000 or 10,000 nyang, I might have still bought these figurines. That’s how drawn I was to them the moment I saw them.

If pressed for a reason, I’d say the poses of the figurines seemed extraordinary. They didn’t look like randomly created movements. Something about them made me want to study them closely.

“Well, if I’m selling, I might as well do it properly.”

The old man brought a box and packed them in. I noticed it was a specialized box designed specifically for these figurines.

The box was divided into thirty-three compartments, matching the number of figurines.

The old man carefully placed the figurines into the box.

I received the box and paid him. 8,000 nyang for the sword and saber, and 2,000 nyang for the figurines. After paying a total of 10,000 nyang, I left the Black Market.

“Come again.”

“I will.”

“If you want to sell those figurines, bring them back. I’ll buy them for the same price.”

I agreed, but I doubt that will ever happen.

Although I couldn’t buy the elixir I had intended to, I felt oddly satisfied. I had bought swords for Gwang-du and Gwan Hwi, and I felt especially good about purchasing the figurines.

With the remaining money, I toured the banks.

I distributed the money across the Three Great Banks of the Central Plains: the Continental Bank[1], the Central Plains Bank[2], and the Wind and Cloud Bank[3].

It was a considerable sum of 190,000 nyang.

If elixirs become available at the Black Market again, I’ll buy them, and I’ll also invest in the clan and sword squad.

Despite not being the type to obsess over money, I felt good. The saying about feeling full without eating – I think I understand it a little now.

I returned home in high spirits.

I decided to share this good feeling with others.

I called Gwang-du and Gwan Hwi to one place.

Gwan Hwi, who had just finished training, came running, looking tense and wondering what was going on.

I handed each of them a saber and a sword respectively.

Gwan Hwi, holding the sword, asked,

“What kind of sword is this?”

“It’s your sword from now on.”

“Pardon?”

Gwan Hwi’s eyes widened. As if to add to his surprise that he might have misheard, I added more emotion to it.

“Thank you for working hard all this time. I’m counting on you in the future too.”

“Master!”

“It’s not an extraordinary sword, so don’t feel burdened. Use it well.”

“May I draw it once?”

Gwan Hwi’s voice was trembling.

“Of course.”

With a moved expression, Gwan Hwi drew the sword.

Shing!

The sound of it being drawn was different from the start.

“Ahhh!”

His face was filled with ecstasy.

“I’ve never seen such an excellent sword before.”

Of course. The swords usually carried by ordinary martial artists typically cost a few dozen nyang. Even a really good sword would only cost a few hundred nyang.

But this was a 2,000 nyang sword. How good must it feel, and how great must his excitement be?

“Thank you so much, Master!”

If it had been any other gift, he wouldn’t have been this happy. But Gwan Hwi was currently putting all his effort into becoming stronger. These days, he would jump out of bed and run to the training ground at the mere mention of martial arts.

His joy was even more apparent due to his usually stoic personality.

After Gwan Hwi withdrew, I asked Gwang-du, who was standing to one side,

“You don’t seem very happy?”

“How could that be? It’s just that the Chief was so happy, I stayed quiet. Regrettably, he beat me to it.”

That can’t be true. It’s not that he doesn’t know how to share in the joy.

Gwang-du had yielded to Gwan Hwi. He wanted to let Gwan Hwi fully express his joy and show it to me. If he had shown his own happiness alongside Gwan Hwi’s, it might have diminished Gwan Hwi’s joy.

This is the kind of person Gwang-du is. And this is why I like him.

Only now did Gwang-du draw his saber.

“It seems pretty decent.”

Although he had turned away, Gwang-du’s face was reflected in the blade of the saber. Contrary to his nonchalant words, his expression looked like he might burst into tears at any moment. This saber was incomparable to the one he had received before.

“It doesn’t seem that great. If so, hand it over. There are several people in the small sword squad who use sabers.”

As I approached to take it away, Gwang-du panicked and ran away.

“Can’t you take a joke? It’s fantastic. Oh, it’s really an amazing saber.”

Gwang-du’s expression was truly ecstatic. Now that he had learned quite a bit of martial arts, he looked fitting holding the saber.

“Didn’t you say the saber I gave you before was the best?”

“This one’s more expensive, right?”

“Much more.”

“Then this is the best.”

“Hahaha.”

Putting aside his playfulness, Gwang-du looked at me. The infinite respect in his eyes was almost burdensome.

“Young Master must have helped save the martial world in your past life for me to meet you like this.”

“Perhaps so.”

That’s what I said, but I don’t think so.

It seems I saved the martial world in my past life to meet you.

Gwang-du grinned confidently and asked,

“But… mine is better than the Chief’s, right?”

“Well…”

“Tell me. How much more expensive is it? Fifty nyang? A hundred nyang?”

I didn’t tell him until the end, and Gwang-du followed me around all day, unable to contain his curiosity.

Yours is three times more expensive, it would have been nice to tell him, but teasing Gwang-du was much more fun.

***

That night, I was in a cave in the mountains.

I always come here when I want to be alone or need to handle important matters. The reason I came here today was because of the figurines I bought from the Black Market.

These were 2,000 nyang figurines, after all.

I set up the figurines on a flat rock in front of the cave. The figurines performing martial arts under the moonlight looked somewhat mystical as they stood in a line.

Upon closer inspection, the figurines appeared a bit rough and crude. It seems they weren’t made by a professional figurine carver.

This might be another reason why they hadn’t sold, along with the high price.

But this made me even more excited.

If that’s the case, these figurines might have been carved directly by a martial artist who knew the techniques.

As if to prove this, the angles and directions of the extended fists and feet were very precise. They weren’t made carelessly or haphazardly.

I examined each figurine one by one.

They clearly seemed to be demonstrating some kind of technique.

I tried to recreate some of the poses myself.

I got a feeling. These figurines were definitely made by someone who truly understood martial arts!

If it were sword techniques, I would have immediately understood what techniques they were, but this was a completely new martial art, so it wasn’t easy to figure out.

Still, I once learned the Peerless Wind God’s Fist[4] of the Fist King. Although I only learned up to the fifth level, my body had tasted a peerless fist technique.

I tried creating movements by changing the order in various ways.

Even if there were connecting movements, I couldn’t tell just by looking whether it was a downward strike or an upward strike. Without a secret manual, it was nearly impossible to infer the techniques solely from the figurines’ poses.

But I kept researching, changing the order. It felt like solving an extremely complex puzzle.

This wasn’t an ordinary fist technique. It was a martial art that used not just fists and feet, but also the back of the hand, elbows, knees, shoulders, and back – truly using the entire body.

That’s why there were many confusing parts. I had never experienced such a martial art before.

Still, I calmly studied the movements. No matter how unfamiliar the martial art was, I had my past life’s martial arts achievements.

I tried this way and that way, continuously repeating the movements.

Calmly and persistently.

When the morning sun rose, I received a reward that only those who don’t give up can obtain. I had figured out the techniques demonstrated by the figurines.

Five techniques.

These thirty-three figurines were demonstrating five techniques in succession. The movements of the techniques were extremely practical and excellent. I could tell just by striking the pose once.

However, since I didn’t know the mental cultivation method to operate it, I couldn’t know how powerful it was.

Just how powerful must it be for someone to have made these figurines and left them behind? If I get the chance later, I might be able to properly unleash these techniques.

I put the figurines back in the box.

Wanting to organize them properly, I inserted them in the order of the techniques.

As I was putting in the last, thirty-third figurine in this order.

With a clicking sound, the bottom part of the box opened.

A thin drawer that had been hidden so well popped out.

I could understand. When the figurines were placed correctly in their positions according to the order of the techniques, this secret drawer was designed to open.

It was truly a box with an amazing mechanism.

Inside was a single folded piece of paper. It looked so old that it seemed it might crumble at any moment.

I carefully took it out and unfolded it. There was one line written:

Tianmen Mountain, Immortal Crane Peak[천문산 선학봉(天門山 仙鶴峰)]].

Tianmen Mountain was in Hubei Province. Wuhan, where the Martial Righteous Alliance headquarters was located, was also not far from Tianmen Mountain. So I knew Tianmen Mountain well. I had even been there before. It was during my younger days when I wandered the Central Plains engaging in martial arts competitions.

Tianmen Mountain was famous for being treacherous. I remember Immortal Crane Peak was probably the main peak.

Why would the location of Tianmen Mountain’s Immortal Crane Peak be written so secretly in this figurine box?

Is there a secret manual that reveals the entirety of this martial art? Or is there something else? Was it because of this unknown destiny that the figurines caught my eye?

It was something I couldn’t know unless I went there myself.