Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Chapter 461

#461

Taejonbirok Volume 19, Episode 11

Chapter 105: The Lazy Man and the Fight (1)

“Did you say it was a sword?”

“Yes, full sword.”

Gwanggu Shingae said with a grin.

“Hey, do you know what a sword is?”

“I have a general idea, but I don’t know the details.”

"That's right. It's such an unfamiliar concept. It's not that the theory is unfamiliar, but there's no way to actually see it in action."

Gwanggu Shingae reached out and grabbed the bottle. He drank the liquor from it and chuckled as he continued.

“To put it simply, swordsmanship without form is called full swordsmanship.”

“What exactly does it mean to not have a brother…?”

“That’s what swordsmanship is. To put it simply.”

The voice of the Gwanggu Shingae became a little gloomy.

“It’s a systematic summary of how easily and efficiently you can stab and kill your opponent.”

“…….”

“Depending on the interpretation of ‘efficiency,’ the nature of swordsmanship will vary.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand exactly what you mean by Sagara, who is not a warrior.”

"Now, let's give you an example. Let's say you and I are about this distance apart. And I'm holding a sword. Let's assume we're in a neutral stance. Let's say I'm aiming for your Adam's apple with the sword. That's what it means."

"yes."

“So, what is the most efficient way for me to kill you here?”

“……I guess I’ll just stab him with the sword and slit his throat.”

"If you think so, then you're right. Then let me ask. Won't your opponent resist? How should I accurately stab the neck, considering that resistance? As quickly as possible? Or with enough force to deflect the opponent's sword? Or perhaps, anticipating a counterattack, should I twist slightly?"

"ah……."

The Gwanggu Shingae nodded its head.

"Depending on how the founder of martial arts interpreted the situation, even a single stabbing can result in a multitude of different methods. Simply put, swordsmanship is a set of rules that dictate, 'In this situation, this is the most efficient way to stab.' Those rules are the basic principles, and people accept them and strive to perfectly recreate what swordsmanship teaches. That's what training is all about."

“I know what you mean.”

"But you're saying that the sword has no herbivorous phase? Because there are no rules."

Saga tilted his head.

“There are no regulations?”

"Those who have learned the basics and gone into battle are bound to follow certain rules. If your opponent is one foot in front, be on guard. If he's half a foot in front, stab him rather than swing. If he's one foot in front, swing him. If he's half a foot in front, strike him with your back instead of your sword."

“Hmm…….”

"But there's no such thing as a swordsman. Because there's only one rule for a swordsman: survival. If I had to add one more, it would be killing the opponent."

Saga nodded.

It may sound a bit gloomy, but it's understandable. That's the battlefield, after all.

"Not having a brother means freedom, but conversely, it also means having to think twice in those tense moments when life and death are at stake. Or else, it means having to swing things without thinking. Do you know what that means?"

“I’m dying.”

"That's right. Learning a full sword means, in other words, being a complete novice in swordsmanship. But, you know, sometimes those kinds of people appear. Those who haven't learned anything, who haven't mastered anything, yet they survive. Those who somehow survive and return to the battlefield. Do you know what happens then?"

“The sword becomes a little more free?”

"No. You'll get caught. You'll learn. You'll learn on your own. How to swing your sword most effectively in each situation. What others learn in textbooks, you'll learn firsthand. Eventually, you'll know everything everyone else has learned. That's when your own swordsmanship will be born. A swordsmanship unlike any other in the world. Do you know what that means?"

“……So you’re a servant.”

"yes."

The swan, who had been shaking his head again, smiled faintly.

"You're not a martial artist, so you don't know how remarkable that is. The martial arts have been practiced for thousands of years, but only a handful have created their own. And even among that handful, only a handful have truly developed their own martial arts to a level that can be widely disseminated."

“But even that handful wouldn’t be an easy number, right?”

"That's right. But what makes that handful so remarkable isn't that they created the martial arts themselves. It's that they fully understood and mastered the martial arts they created."

Saga stared at the Gwanggu Shingae as if he had no idea what was going on. This was a question that would be difficult for anyone but a warrior to grasp.

“Have you ever seen anyone in your life who was so confident that they had mastered some art?”

"……doesn't exist."

"That's right. That's how it is. Ordinary martial artists spend their entire lives learning a single martial art. They never fully grasp the contents of a single book, and they keep trying. But the creator of a martial art understands it better than anyone else in the world. So…"

“You must be strong.”

"then."

The Gwanggu Shingae chuckled.

"Strong. Very strong. It depends a bit on the level of the martial arts that created it, but… he's strong. He was like that too. The swordsman, Cheoksu-gwang, that's him."

Gwanggu Shin-gae stared outside the hut and nodded.

“Yeah. It was strong.”

***

That's what a full sword is.

You never know where you'll end up. The world is governed by laws. You may feel free, but most of your actions are influenced by the world you've seen and the actions of others.

No?

If you had grown up alone in the wild with no one around, would you be like this now?

No?

Yeah, that's it.

The freedom you speak of is ultimately built on the foundation of the human world. The same goes for swordsmanship. Even if you pursue something else, you can't escape the influence of the swordsmanship you've learned and witnessed before. Of course, this applies not only to swordsmanship, but to all martial arts.

But the sword is far from that foundation. Very far.

So weird.

How bizarre is that?

There were quite a few people in the world who could confidently claim to be stronger than Chik Soo-gwang. Indeed, some were stronger than Chik Soo-gwang, while others looked down on him, saying things like, "If someone who mastered that mere Ronin sword is that strong, how strong can they be?"

But none of them wanted to directly fight the Spinal Cord.

Why?

Because I have no confidence.

Hehe, that's what a swordsman is. When a master fights a lesser master, blocking variables is the priority. No matter how great a master, the sword will still stick.

It's not uncommon for people of high standing to be disgraced by the reckless swordsmanship of ronin.

But, since he is called the King of the Front, what more can he do? He may lose to those weaker than him, but he can also defeat those stronger.

okay.

So, no one wanted to shake hands with the former king.

huh?

That guy?

No, that guy doesn't really like fighting.

But… … it seems a little different.

Well, that's not his problem, it's the teacher's problem.

***

What is the most important thing to exist as the head of a family?

Dangcheon-gun did not know the answer.

The more I held the position of head of a family, the more arduous it became. Overseeing the day-to-day operations of a family is no easy task for anyone. Especially when it's a massive family like Sacheondangga.

but…….

Even if Tang Cheon-gun didn't know what was most important, he knew what was most difficult. For him, this was the most difficult task.

Hiding one's true feelings.

Managing facial expressions.

It was a matter of smiling at the difficult person because it was beneficial.

While some find this easy, for Dangcheon-gun, with his straightforward nature, it was the most difficult task in the world. This was especially true when the person in front of him was provoking him in various ways.

'Spinal light.'

Dangcheon-gun found it uncomfortable to look at Lee Ja. Looking at Lee Ja brought up many thoughts.

The person most suitable for the position of Cheon Iryeonju, where Cheok Su-gwang is currently sitting, was none other than Dang Cheon-gun.

Isn't the Cheon Il Yeon a union of the four thousand?

Who else but him, the head of the Sacheon Dangga and the dark king, the leader of the sect representing Sacheon, could sit in this position?

But now, Cheon Iryeonju was not him, but Suk Soo-gwang.

Dangcheon-gun took a deep breath.

‘If only my martial arts skills were lower… … .’

The reason why Spinal Cord irritates him is because he's so strong. The Dark King didn't think he could lose a fight against him, but honestly, he wasn't confident he could win.

The only thing that puts him ahead of the Suk Soo-kwang is that he is the head of the Tang family.

How shameful it is to use the glory of one's family to defeat an opponent one cannot defeat with skill.

If his and Suk Soo-kwang's positions had been reversed, he would have been unable to raise his head in front of Suk Soo-kwang by now. The fact that someone could calmly grasp that fact tormented Dangcheon-gun.

furthermore…….

“It’s been a while.”

Dangcheon-gun bowed deeply. Cheoksu-gwang accepted his greeting with a slight nod.

“Long time no see.”

“…….”

That attitude.

That attitude further irritated Tang Cheon-gun. No matter how much he was called the head of the Cheon-ui-ryeon family, Tang Cheon-gun was still the head of the Tang family. He deserved the bare minimum. But Cheok Su-gwang treated Tang Cheon-gun like a subordinate. And he did so with a strange smile.

'Fuck.'

Dangcheon-gun felt utterly miserable as he met the person he most wanted to see in the courtyard of the Dang family.

“I heard there’s a problem with the party.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know something like this would happen at the party.”

Even those words struck Dangcheon-gun as a mockery. "If you had managed things properly, this wouldn't have happened."

“Isn’t that why you invited the Lord?”

If you're that good, I meant for you to try to solve it.

"Would I be of any help? It wouldn't look good to be so deeply involved in family affairs, would it?"

What I'm saying is, you have to do your own thing.

'Then why did you come?'

If I had my way, I would have immediately yelled at him and chased him away. But Dangcheon-gun knew better than anyone that that shouldn't happen. That's why he avoided meeting Cheoksu-gwang.

“More than that…….”

The spinal column opened its mouth quietly.

“They said they brought a funny kid.”

“Are you talking about Wei Yanhu?”

“That was the name.”

A strange sight appeared in Dangcheon-gun's eyes.

'I'm interested in that guy… … .'

Perhaps this could be an opportunity. A chance to instantly undermine the staunch Spinal Cord's status. To do so…

“So where is that kid now?”

Dangcheon-gun clenched his fist tightly.

Even without throwing any bait, the moonfish jumped up to the shore on its own.

“I will guide you.”

Dangcheon-gun, who caught a moonfish with a net, smiled with satisfaction.