Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – Lion Dance (6)

Sacred Forest.

Before the ritual, several Hwarangs had gathered there. However, no one from the White Tiger Spirit Troops was present.

They were in a lonely corner of the forest.

“I am having difficulty carrying out the orders of the king, so I would like to ask Baek Eon-rang to teach me for a moment.”

Seol Young bowed his head to him.

Baek Eon nodded.

“I heard the story. I will teach Seol Young-rang the basic movements of the Beautiful-rang Dance.”

Beautiful-rang means a beautiful and excellent Hwarang. Among the many Sword Dances handed down in the Hwarang troops, this dance was modeled after Sa Daham’s sword technique.

Baek Eon immediately picked up the sword and began to lead.

The basis of the dance was made up of six movements.

Although simple, it was not a weak power. It was a sword technique that made the wielder stronger the more he dealt with the enemy. And as the six movements were repeated, the sword technique would flow like water.

Depending on how the enemy attacks, the order could be changed.

However, Sa Daham always ended with a strong stab at the end.

There was no special name for this movement. Later on, the generations after him wrote and sang praises for Sa Daham, giving him the title ‘One Attack Straight Stab.’ It was meant to denote the Big Dipper.

“Put your arms up here… right. Stab. Twice in a row. Right. Good job.”

Being taught like this by Baek Eon made Seol Young feel like he was back in his childhood without feeling any pain and just concentrated on learning.

Eventually, he finished teaching him the six movements.

Seol Young left them and went to the middle of an empty place.

“Then, High Governor.”

Zaha dragged a large sack. And when the top opened, a pile of long swords came out.

What was this?

Baek Eon, Song Ok, and Hyo Wol stared at each other, not knowing why.

The moment Zaha picked up a sword and threw it at Seol Young with all his might, it appeared like it would have cut him.

The three were surprised.

‘He is trying to kill me…’

Whoever saw it could tell that he was full of killing intent. He was only thinking of cutting him.

‘You were purposely trying to kill me!’

With a clanging sound, Seol Young’s sword dropped.

“Slow.”

Zaha said and immediately threw it again.

Another attack came in one after another, not giving Seol Young a chance to catch his breath. Seol Young continued to handle the sword, only to be thrown to the ground.

“Slow. Slow. Slow.”

The same process kept being repeated. Baek Eon, Song Ok, and Hyo Wol couldn’t understand.

‘If something like that flew towards me and I didn’t die, wouldn’t it be considered a good save? Why do you keep saying it is slow? What more do I have to do?’

After repeating it for a long time, Zaha lowered his hand first.

“This is a mess.”

“Yes, High Governor.”

Seol Young turned around.

“Baek Eon-rang, please guide me again.”

“Ah.”

Baek Eon put aside his doubts and listened to the swordsman. The six basic movements of the dance, which he taught earlier, were once again shown in detail.

“Is this part difficult? You have to strike a good balance. Adjust your strength while thinking about your following actions.”

He took care of Seol Young for a long time, so he knew which part was the problem. The teacher was sincere, and the learner was focused, so he was able to learn it almost perfectly in a short time.

After repeating the Sword Dance’s six techniques, Seol Young gathered the last bit of his strength and stabbed the middle part of an old tree. The Blue Rainbow pierced the tree at once.

“Wonderful.”

Baek Eon praised him.

“Thank you, Baek Eon-rang, but it is an exaggeration.”

“No. I have nothing more to teach you.”

Baek Eon took out a thin booklet from his sleeve. Under the title ‘Beautiful-rang Dance,’ there was a portrait of Sa Daham standing arrogantly.

“Here is a detailed description of the movements, so you can refer to them here.”

“Thank you.”

Seol Young accepted it, and Zaha approached them.

“How can Baek Eon-rang be this kind? As expected, you have a personality that suits the Hwarangs.”

“No. This is to fulfill the king’s order…”

“Baek Eon-rang! You need to head back fast!”

Seol Young stopped talking and tugged at his sleeve. His body was blocking the gap between the two.

“Hurry! Song Ok-rang and Hyo Wol-rang should head back too.”

The three greeted Zaha, and after a moment, they all looked back as if they had a sudden thought.

“The quick-witted third-rang. Do you know what is happening?”

Song Ok asked Hyo Wol, who shook his head.

“This is serious. His hands are already wounded.”

“Fortunately, he didn’t seem seriously wounded…”

“The cut looked like it was three inches long.”

Seol Young wrapped his hands in a black cloth to hide them, but they knew. They haven’t been together for seven years without a reason.

“If it is like in the past, he would have stepped ahead and shown us his wounds. If a spirit got him injured like that, Baek Eon-rang would be upset, so he didn’t show it.”

“What? It must be because the two of you always swoon over him.”

They walked away, talking back and forth.

“The expression he had continues to bother me. How lonely must it be to move alone?”

“Maybe it is time for him to know. That he is not alone but is under watch….”

At those words, Baek Eon nodded.

“There may be a chance.”

After the three of them disappeared, Seol Young put his hands down.

Maybe it was because he was trying hard not to show it, but now his entire arm was in pain. However, there was no time to relax. He picked up the sword and looked at Zaha.

“Should we continue?”

But then he noticed someone standing behind a pine tree. A man was snooping around, trying to hide his large size.

“Monk Do Cheol?”

Do Cheol came out from behind the tree with an awkward smile and a few talismans in his arms.

“This.”

Zaha smiled like it was absurd.

“Right. Right. Didn’t you have to read Buddhist chants so the evil spirits could not get close to you?”

With a shy face, Do Cheol said,

“Amitabha. Why did you give it to me without letting me refuse?”

The talisman he was holding.

Right before Do Cheol’s throat was cut by the sword of the spirit, Seol Young saved the monk’s life by attaching the talisman to him.

A soul was sealed within the talisman, and thanks to the energy of the ghost sealed inside of it, the energy within Do Cheol was concealed to avoid the eyes of the evil spirit.

The problem was that the spirit was a well-known seamstress during her lifetime.

Many people had requested that Do Cheol sew for them while he was on his way here. Unconsciously, people mistook him for a female seamstress.

“This is what I…”

Do Cheol stroked his large shiny head a couple of times.

“I thought I came out for no reason, but I came because I felt compelled to tell you this right away.”

He was speaking so seriously that he looked so scared.

Seol Young hardened his expression.

“What happened?”

“I dreamed again.”

Do Cheol carefully said,

“In my dream, I was a soldier. An official had urged me, and I had to contact my mother and tell her where I was right then. I immediately ran without another thought towards the In Hyesa Temple.”

In the dream, Do Cheol was still in the temple, and hearing this made the official angry. He wasn’t at the temple, so why was he lying?

“I struggled for a long time, and a scary monster appeared and scolded me, and a heavenly maiden persuaded me and begged me too. I was being asked to say where I was, and I kept answering that I was in the In Hyesa Temple.”

Should it be considered that they managed to benefit from his honest personality?

Seol Young mumbled,

“Good job.”

“Because I really believed that. And as I was about to open my eyes and continue to repeat those words, I noticed that those officials, monsters, the maiden, and everyone else were now dressed in green… jade color…”

Seol Young’s face turned serious.

It seems that he has already recovered. Even though he was caught in the trap and his spiritual body was burned, he was still fine.

It was truly monstrous.

Do Cheol looked down at the thing he was sewing.

“The talisman is very powerful Hwarang Seol Young. The evil spirits are unable to find my location.”

He said, but he sighed.

“But what if I do something wrong and fall for their tricks? What if they find out where I am staying? Amitabha. What should I do when such an evil spirit appears?”

“Monk, you need to head back in. I will be back before dinner.”

“Yes. I will.”

“Ah, if you see another Hwarang, shaman, or also a Taoist, avoid them. They might get rid of the talisman.”

“Ah! I understand.”

Do Cheol was startled as he put his palms together and walked away. Seol Young looked at his back for a while, then raised his sword.

He started training again, but before long, his palm felt damp.

“Wait.”

Seol Young put down his sword and sat down by a tree. He unwrapped the cloth, and the wounds on his palm were open, with black blood oozing out.

Zaha looked at it as if saying, ‘look at the wound.’

Seol Young said,

“Now that I think about it, there is no other way. Instead of finding out who it is and how weak I am, I moved ahead, and I am paying the price for it now.”

“Don’t be stubborn. Admit it.”

He threw the long sword to the ground.

“So far, yes, it has been fine. But this time, it doesn’t seem like a possibility. There seems to be more damage on my hand.”

And he glanced down.

“Why are you cursing me with your eyes? Are you saying I am wrong?”

“Right, I am cursing.”

Seol Young spoke back in a serious tone. He hated to admit it, but he was too hasty this time.

And if he continued to train now, maybe he would be able to learn the sword technique, but would he be able to surpass the living demonic sword?

Zaha smiled.

“Finally, your wish has been granted. It is said that by obtaining the power of God, Demon, and spirit, you will rise to the position of an independent being in the heavens and the world…”

Ha! Seriously! He sounds like a seven-year-old!

Seol Young was sitting there with a cold face, and he mumbled.

“But what happens next is the problem. If Do In, Do Jeon, and Do Cheon all die, the technique of the sword, and the ritual he is making will be complete, and he will gain more power. What if that fake monk attacks me?”

Zaha said, swinging the sword.

“We need to find a way for you to live then.”

“…?”

He was looking for something.

Zaha turned back, lifted the bag of swords, and pushed them down.

Seol Young’s eyes widened.

The last thing that came from the bag was surely a treasured sword. A sword hilt decorated with green jade. An antique blue sheath having an appearance that was not unfamiliar.

This was because this sword was always present in the portraits of Sa Daham.

They couldn’t find it until now, but it was also in the martial arts book that Baek Eon had given him.

“The sword that Sa Daham used?”

Seol Young jumped up.

Surely Sa Daham had a nice sword. And it was obtained after destroying the sword which sealed the fake monk.

The sword of the true Sa Daham, who showed extreme power until death.

Seol Young forgot how depressed he was until then and approached it.

“How the hell did you get this?”

“Money.”

A simple answer.

Seol Young was speechless for a moment.

The truth of life.