“There’s nothing wrong with you, yet you keep coming here and troubling me, teacher.”

For some reason, every time I looked at Moyong Baek, it felt like I hadn’t seen him in a long time. Why that was, I couldn’t explain.

Moyong Baek studied my expression before speaking.

“You’re always welcome to come. Have you been waiting long?”

In truth, I had waited for about half a stick of incense, but I answered casually.

“About half an incense stick.”

Moyong Baek, following the usual routine, started feeling my pulse before continuing.

“…By the way, Master, you seem to be growing stronger every time I see you.”

Such praise wasn’t something I could hear often, so I smiled.

“I’m trying to live that way.”

Moyong withdrew his hand and said.

“There’s no special issue. As before, though, I’m more curious about your heart than your body.”

Moyong Baek stared at my expression and eyes. I spoke unstructuredly about recent events, mentioning the flames I had seen.

“When I fight and look at the flames around me, I feel like I lose myself for a moment. I nearly got burned to death.”

Moyong Baek gave a faint smile as he replied.

“Why do you think that happens? I’m not a fortune teller, but I’m sure you know part of the cause yourself.”

I tried to find an answer and blurted out whatever came to mind.

“I had an inn in my name, but it burned to the ground. It felt like I was lost… At the time, I didn’t know, but when my house disappeared, I realized that I probably hadn’t expected an easy life.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I knew what kind of person I was, even before the fire.”

Moyong Baek responded with a calm expression.

“Do you think that personality hinders your martial arts progress?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

After some thought, Moyong Baek asked me.

“Master, what do you feel when you meet someone much stronger than you? I don’t know if you’ve met such a person.”

I understood what Moyong Baek was asking.

“I feel like I might go mad.”

“Why?”

I looked at Moyong Baek seriously.

“Because you have to go mad to win. If you’re weaker than your opponent, you can only win by enduring with madness.”

“You said endure—can you explain that part more?”

“Fighting is always painful. To win, you have to endure that pain, and at some point, you feel like you’ve crossed a line. You should faint, but you don’t. You should fall, but you don’t. That’s when madness waits and bursts out.”

“Aren’t you afraid? Of defeat or death?”

“I’m not afraid of defeat. I’ve lost many times since I was young. That’s how I got stronger.”

“And death?”

I remembered the time I was trapped in the Tianla Mountain, and the merciless beating I received from Gwangseung. Even through countless defeats and failures, I never feared death. Maybe from the moment my inn burned down, I had already resolved to live as though death were imminent.

“When I fight, I don’t think about it.”

Moyong Baek responded with an awkward expression.

“Then, when you stare at the flames, it seems like it’s not fear, but an awareness or concern about madness.”

“Awareness?”

“To defeat the world’s strongest, isn’t it that with your mindset, you must go mad to have a chance at victory?”

“That’s right.”

“If the feeling you had when looking at the flames surrounding your inn is regret, then it might be understandable that you lose yourself. Should you live like a madman, prepared for death? Or should you take a different mindset? Perhaps the question you face in life is what comes to mind every time you look at the flames.”

“What happens when I make that decision?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Do you think it will be easy? I don’t know how far you want to go to get stronger.”

“I want to be the greatest under heaven.”

Suddenly, Moyong Baek # Nоvеlight # tapped the table.

“When will that dream be realized?”

“I don’t know.”

“I see. You know well. If it’s a dream that will only come true in ten years, then honestly, it would be better to spend these nine years in secluded training, accumulating internal energy. Would you be okay with that?”

“I don’t plan on that.”

“Why?”

“Wouldn’t that be too futile? I want to drink, sing, dance, and fight others. I have a lot to do.”

“Then, it’s just about living faithfully day by day. Someone will eventually become the greatest. But that’s if they survive. Everyone’s heart has a deceitful side. To be precise, your dream isn’t really to be the greatest under heaven.”

“Then what?”

“Drinking, singing, dancing, and fighting with others, that’s the dream that suits you. You’ll become the greatest in the process.”

I laughed out loud at Moyong Baek’s words because they were interesting.

“Oh, is that so?”

I looked inward at my heart, contemplating, and then replied.

“I feel like I’ve half-solved something.”

Moyong Baek said.

“This is just my personal opinion. How about trying to trigger that madness only when you meet a stronger opponent? Maybe it wouldn’t be bad to practice calming your mind otherwise. Separate your mindset when fighting and when living.”

Moyong Baek had quickly understood my state of mind, even though we hadn’t known each other long. Maybe, as a former demonic master, Moyong Baek had also been someone completely mad in the past. If there were a way to visualize his heart, the word madness would probably be lurking somewhere in the corners.

I asked him.

“Teacher, have you ever felt like you were about to go mad?”

“Why wouldn’t I have?”

Moyong Baek replied with a thoughtful expression.

“When someone I saved changes their attitude after getting better, it often makes me feel like my insides are turning. Every time that happens, I get flu-like symptoms and have to rest for a few days.”

I nodded.

“I understand.”

Moyong Baek understood me, and I understood the former demonic master.

It was clear that he had gone mad because of it.

We shared our weaknesses with each other, then laughed together.

“Moyong Baek, I have a question. It may seem like a light question, but I’m asking it seriously.”

“Sure, I’ll think carefully and answer.”

“What do you think of swordsmen?”

We had never discussed swordsmen during our Crazy Demon and Demonic Master days. Therefore, Moyong Baek’s opinion on swordsmen was new to me.

After thinking for a while, Moyong Baek replied.

“A swordsman is a fool, isn’t he?”

“A fool?”

“If someone can’t even protect their own share, they’re a fool. In that sense, a swordsman can be considered a fool.”

“Go on.”

“Usually, a swordsman is someone who risks their life for what they believe in. But nothing is more valuable than one’s own life. A person who throws away the most valuable thing they have to pursue a cause is the greatest fool of all.”

“Then, are they strong?”

It was a foolish question, but Moyong Baek gave a smart answer.

“If we’re talking about a person, is there anyone stronger than them? Swordsmen, whether from the past or now, are rare. Catching criminals is praiseworthy, but the real swordsman isn’t strong because of martial arts. It’s because the person themselves is strong.”

To hear such words from Moyong Baek, a former demonic master, was impressive.

“A senior I know once said that a swordsman is stronger than any expert, but I can’t understand that.”

“I'm not talking about fighting skills between individuals, but about a person's influence. In that case, it's obvious that a swordsman is stronger than any master of Jianghu.”

“That's all I have in my head.”

Moyong Baek unexpectedly threw a comment.

“Try it yourself.”

“Try what?”

“To be a swordsman. Even if it’s not something that risks your life, anyone with strength can become a swordsman. Besides, Master, you’re the strongest person I know. Surely, there’s no reason you can’t do it.”

I laughed self-deprecatingly and replied.

“Me, a swordsman?”

“How could past swordsmen have cared about their status, their background, or their wealth when they became swordsmen? It’s because they didn’t care about any of that that they became swordsmen.”

“Could you become a swordsman, teacher?”

“I’ve already chosen the path of a doctor. Now that I think about it, many famous figures from Jianghu, when they were young, were called swordsmen. Don’t you think? In their biographies, they were called swordsmen when they were young, then later in life, they retreated into the mountains, trained disciples, and became famous. It’s a story you’ve heard many times, I’m sure. Saying all this, the idea that a swordsman is strong suddenly feels different to me.”

I nodded and felt some relief.

Moyong Baek, who had been watching my expression, asked with curiosity.

“Have you decided?”

“I’ve decided.”

“Then, please tell me.”

I crossed my arms and spoke.

“I won’t become a swordsman. It’s not in line with my nature.”

Moyong Baek let out a half-laugh, as if he hadn’t expected that answer. I clarified my intentions.

“However, if I find someone with the right intentions, someone with a sincere heart, I will support them. I can teach martial arts, and I can fully support them materially.”

Since I’ve been steadily taking money from the Black Path by defeating people, I can certainly afford it.

“If I can support that person and help them become a great swordsman, then maybe my curiosity will be satisfied in the future.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself?”

I smiled slyly.

“I’m a far worse person than you think, so I’m suited to playing the villain. There are still too many people I want to beat. Later on, if someone with the qualities of a swordsman is about to get killed by someone, I’ll make sure to take care of those monster-like Great Masters in advance. That way, it will be a little easier for the foolish disciple to do the work of a swordsman.”

Moyong Baek burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha...”

I laughed along with him. After taking a deep breath, Moyong Baek nodded and spoke.

“I feel a bit relieved too. In that case, I will also support you and your future disciple in my own way. That way, I’ll be helping in the creation of a foolish swordsman in this cruel world.”

“Will you really do that?”

“I will gladly do so.”

I looked into Moyong Baek’s eyes and nodded.

“Let’s do it. I’ll keep looking for the right person. To raise a swordsman strong enough, I must become stronger first, so I’ll focus on martial arts, and you should focus on your medicine. Let’s prepare day by day and try to create the strongest fool in the world.”

Moyong Baek responded with a smile.

“Master, it’s not about being a fool, it’s about being a swordsman.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s hard for a clever person who always calculates everything to become a swordsman.”

“A fool and a swordsman, it seems they’re connected in some way.”

Moyong Baek carefully asked.

“By the way, what happened to the flames you mentioned earlier? Are they still dangerously burning in your heart?”

“They’re burning, but not dangerously. They’ll drive my enemies mad.”

I stood up, ready to return to the Black Cat Pavilion.

“Teacher, do you happen to be short of medical staff?”

“The medical staff are all of varying skill, so there are times when I wish for more capable ones.”

“There are two women at the Black Cat Pavilion called Heukbaek Soso. They were trained in the art of seduction, so even without taking special actions, my subordinates are already charmed by them. If you’d like, I could arrange an interview for you to teach them medicine. They’ve learned quite a bit of martial arts and could serve as guards as well.”

Moyong Baek honestly replied.

“If they do well, they can stay, but if I can’t manage them, I’ll kick them out to the Black Cat Pavilion. If you take them back then, I’ll meet with them.”

“Let’s do that.”

“Take care, Master.”

After parting ways, I headed toward the Black Cat Pavilion. On my walk back, the conversation with Moyong Baek from my past life gradually faded, replaced by memories of my conversation with the current Moyong Baek.

What is this feeling?

As memories faded, new ones were stacking up.

The curiosity about the swordsman theory from Giseongja’s book was solved with my own way of thinking.

I just need to make a swordsman stronger.

A man who makes his disciple the strongest swordsman in Jianghu—that’s what I, the Master of Haomun, Yi Zaha, will be.

.

.

.

That’s me.