Heavenly Inquisition Sword

Episode 130: Old Shim Resembles the Grand Inspector

The Confrontation

With fewer men, Geonwon and Jojeong gritted their teeth, glaring daggers at Old Shim. On the other hand, the warriors of the Wanli Chamber of Commerce felt emboldened by their numerical advantage. Particularly, Gyeong Cheom, their leader, was livid from the humiliation he had endured.

"Hey! Did you just insult me?"

Gyeong Cheom glared at him furiously, but Old Shim, the Old Dao of Nine Heavens, didn’t even bat an eye.

"Hehe, so what are you then, a damsel?"

With Shim Tong’s mocking words, Gyeong Cheom's subordinates placed their hands on the hilts of their swords. Had Gyeong Cheom been a high-level expert, he might have sensed the intangible energy emanating from Shim Tong. Unfortunately, he was just a mid-level master, incapable of perceiving Shim Tong’s aura.

"Well! Old man! Let’s see how strong you really are! Men, attack!"

Gyeong Cheom and nine of his warriors drew their swords. At that moment, Shim Tong roared with a force that made the heavens and earth tremble.

"You damned fools! How dare you draw your weapons before the Grand Inspector of Nokrim? You’re courting death!"

Shim Tong vanished from his spot, reappearing in front of Gyeong Cheom in an instant.

"Ah!"

Before Gyeong Cheom could react, Shim Tong struck him.

Smack!

Gyeong Cheom saw a flash of light in his eyes as he spun through the air. Simultaneously, the warriors of the Wanli Chamber of Commerce were also struck and thrown to the ground. By the time Gyeong Cheom regained his balance, it was all over.

Shim Tong had returned to his original position, as if a hurricane had just passed through. Only then did Gyeong Cheom realize that the old man was a supreme master. Shim Tong gazed at him with a commanding expression, and Gyeong Cheom lowered his gaze, intimidated.

Yeon Jeokha, observing the situation, commented sarcastically.

"Sometimes, Old Shim seems like the Grand Inspector of Nokrim. He rides on my reputation."

"Young Master, what does 'riding on your reputation' mean?"

"Hehe, it means the fox uses the tiger’s authority."

"Hehe, yes, Young Master. You’re the tiger, and I’m the old fox."

Yeon Jeokha shook his head. He had used the term to mock him, but Shim Tong had taken it as an accurate description of his position.

Gyeong Cheom, unable to look away from the conversation between the young man and the old man, recalled the rumors that three prominent families in Jeongju/Zhengzhou had fallen after challenging the young master of Nokrim. The disciples of those families hadn’t found work in any Chamber of Commerce since.

At that moment, Shim Tong asked.

"Young Master, what should we do with these rude fellows?"

"Are you planning on causing more trouble? Shouldn't you be calming down at your age?"

"Oh, this isn’t causing trouble! I’m outraged that anyone would dare disrespect you."

"Did they disrespect me?"

"They drew their swords in your presence, Young Master. If they were in front of the Heaven Destroyer Demon Lord, would they dare to unsheathe their swords? They did it because they thought it was easy."

Gyeong Cheom, horrified, shook his head vehemently.

"No, no! That wasn’t it! We didn’t know you were the Grand Inspector of Nokrim. If we had known, we wouldn’t have even touched our swords."

"Silence! Ignorance is the greatest sin! Do you think you can fool us? I’m going to tear out your tongue!"

Once known as the Immortal Sword Demon, Shim Tong was filled with fury. Hearing his words, Gyeong Cheom covered his mouth, fearing he might actually do it.

Yeon Jeokha frowned. Although Gyeong Cheom and his men didn’t recognize him, it was clear they had underestimated him.

"Old Shim."

"Yes, Young Master."

"Make them keep the fire burning all night. If the fire goes out or weakens, break their limbs."

"Wouldn’t it be better to cut them off?"

"Don’t make me repeat myself."

"Yes, understood. Did you all hear that? Take turns watching the fire. If anything happens to it, I’ll break your arms and legs."

Geonwon and Jojeong nodded in resignation. Although they preferred this to being handed over to their enemies, their pride was wounded. Gyeong Cheom and his men also felt humiliated by having to tend to Nokrim’s fire throughout the night.

Winter nights are long, especially when spent outdoors. Namgung Cheon, sitting by the fire, suggested.

"Jeokha."

"Yes."

"Since time is passing slowly, how about we train a bit? No internal energy, just techniques."

Though they called it training, it was really a request to sharpen their martial skills.

Yeon Jeokha smiled. Namgung Cheon was a born warrior.

"Sure."

Yeon Jeokha agreed immediately. Now that he had mastered his sword control, he wasn’t afraid of injuring Namgung Cheon.

Half of the people around the fire moved to the other side. Yeon Jeokha and Namgung Cheon faced each other.

Jin Seolha, who had been sitting beside Namgung Yeon, asked her.

"You knew Yeon Sohyeop when he was young, right?"

"Yes."

Namgung Yeon, who had grown familiar with Jin Seolha during their journey, replied calmly.

"What was he like when he was young?"

"It wasn’t a good situation."

"What?"

Jin Seolha didn’t understand the response. She didn’t know what Yeon Jeokha had gone through at Waryong Manor, so she didn’t grasp the meaning behind Namgung Yeon’s words.

Just then, Yeon Jeokha and Namgung Cheon began their duel. Namgung Cheon approached using the Gonmunmu movement technique and unleashed the Daeyeon Sword Art. Yeon Jeokha received his attacks with ease.

Clang, clang~.

A series of brilliant movements were exchanged between them. After retreating slightly, Namgung Cheon unleashed the twelve stances of the Daeyeon Sword Art in a burst. As a master swordsman, Namgung Cheon was skilled at controlling distance.

Although Yeon Jeokha had honed his swordsmanship in battle, he wasn’t as meticulous as Namgung Cheon. The duel was beneficial for him.

Namgung Cheon switched to the Emperor Sword technique. While the Daeyeon Sword Art was elegant, the Emperor Sword technique was majestic. Even without using internal energy, Namgung Cheon’s sword sent gusts of wind.

Yeon Jeokha instinctively used the Nine Heavens Technique to counter. He had reached a level where he could move without thinking about the distinction between technique and non-technique.

Namgung Cheon, seeing this, couldn’t help but admire his skill. At first, Yeon Jeokha only defended, but now he was smoothly advancing and retreating.

Namgung Cheon didn’t use his most advanced technique, the Changgunmu. Although no one else could understand it, he preferred not to take the risk.

Returning to the Daeyeon Sword Art, Yeon Jeokha smiled. It seemed the duel was going to end without much excitement.

Suddenly, Yeon Jeokha struck with force, causing Namgung Cheon’s sword to recoil. In an instant, Yeon Jeokha advanced and launched an overhead strike.

It was the Celestial Dragon Technique of the Nine Heavens. Even without using internal energy, the technique was impressive. The sword wind rushed towards Namgung Cheon.

"Ah!"

Surprised, Namgung Cheon used the Gonmunmu technique to dodge and launched his sword brilliantly. Each time the sword cut through the air, it sounded like ripping silk.

The Emperor Sword technique and the Daeyeon Sword Art blended together. Namgung Cheon, as if in a trance, continued to strike.

At the end of the Celestial Dragon Technique, Yeon Jeokha launched one final blow, rising slightly on his toes.

Ssssh.

The sword wind cut through the air, heading towards Namgung Cheon’s chest.

In a near-trance state, Namgung Cheon instinctively raised his sword in a defensive posture.

Swish~

The sword wind dissipated in the air, and Namgung Cheon remained still, deeply absorbed in thought.

The duel between the two ended at that moment.

Geonwon and Gyeong Cheom exchanged glances. Geonwon could see in Gyeong Cheom’s eyes that he, too, had no idea who this young and talented swordsman was.

"The world is full of exceptional masters!"

Though Yeon Jeokha was the Grand Inspector of Nokrim, what impressed Geonwon the most was the young man’s formidable skill.

“That final stance... it was like the pinnacle of stillness and movement.”

The fact that someone so young could reach such a level of skill was astonishing.

With the duel concluded, Jin Seolha let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew! It’s finally over. But, what did you mean when you said the situation wasn’t good? Did Yeon Sohyeop’s family get involved in Murim’s troubles?"

"I think it’s better if you hear that story directly from him."

Namgung Yeon thought it wasn’t appropriate for others to discuss Ye on Jeokha’s painful past. Whether to share it or not should be Yeon Jeokha’s prerogative.

“I understand.”

Jin Seolha, ever perceptive, decided not to press the issue further. After witnessing the duel, the warriors of the Chamber of Commerce kept their distance, avoiding any eye contact with the group members. Throughout the night, they diligently gathered wood and kept the fire burning. They knew that with the Grand Inspector of Nokrim present, there was no escape.

At dawn, Yeon Jeokha finally allowed the warriors to leave. Exhausted from working all night, they dispersed with relief. They had fulfilled their task and avoided punishment.

The saying "The thirsty dig their own well" seemed fitting. As he chewed on a piece of hard bread, Lee Sa prepared the cauldron once more. The group gathered around the fire, enjoying the aroma of breakfast.

It was at that moment that the warriors of Guangming Manor appeared like phantoms, surrounding the group.