Martial Artist Lee Gwak

Light Novel: Volume 1 Chapter 9

Manhwa: Chapter 11-12

Episode 3. The Turning Point of Fate Comes Without Warning (3)

“Mmm!”

As Lee Gwak regained consciousness, a flurry of voices reached his ears.

“Are you okay?”

“Goodness! Why are you asking if he’s alright? Look at the state he’s in!”

It was Oh Guhong and the members of Squad 13.

Lee Gwak tried to open his eyes and look at them, but all he could see were blurry figures. He could not distinguish their faces.

“Don’t strain yourself. It’s already a miracle your eyes haven’t burst. Pushing yourself might worsen your condition, so keep your eyes closed.”

“That’s right! Don’t push yourself too hard.”

The voices of Squad 13 echoed around him.

Mixed lights and figures swirled in his vision. It was proof that his eyes were badly damaged.

Without a word, Lee Gwak closed his eyes again.

It wasn’t just his eyes. His entire body ached as if it had been chopped to pieces. The pain was so intense that he found even breathing a struggle.

Gasping for air, Lee Gwak opened his mouth,

“Wh… what happened?”

“Don’t you remember? That bastard hit you so hard you nearly died.”

“Where is he?”

“Him?”

“The one who did this to me–”

“He’s gone.”

“You mean he just went?”

The anger in Lee Gwak’s voice made Oh Guhong turn his head quickly, clearly feeling guilty.

“They ordered us to let him go.”

“What?”

Lee Gwak forced open his eyes, despite the pain and blurred vision. Tears streamed down his cheeks, stirred by the light. It was truly painful, but Lee Gwak strained to keep his eyes wide open. A gleam of incomprehension and disbelief on his face.

Though a low-level member, he was still a martial artist affiliated with the Jade Heaven Alliance.

How could the Jade Heaven Alliance let another martial artist attack one of their own and let it slide?

It was incomprehensible to Lee Gwak’s common sense.

At that moment, Oh Guhong spoke in a gentle voice.

“Let it go, Gwak.”

“But…”

“I think he’s from the Celestial Demon Union. And it’s clear he holds a significant position there. Even the higher-ups seem uncomfortable making more of an issue out of this.”

“……”

“I know it’s unjust. But what can we do? That’s how the world works. Just be glad you’re alive.”

Oh Guhong explained in an uncharacteristically long-winded manner, while the members of Squad 13 tried their best to look elsewhere, avoiding Lee Gwak’s gaze. They were too ashamed to face him.

They knew the treatment meted out by the Jade Heaven Alliance was unreasonable. But they didn’t have the courage to defy the alliance’s orders.

All they could do was offer a few words of encouragement to Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak bit his lip. Blood seeped from the broken skin, but he didn’t care.

Oh Guhong wiped the blood off Lee Gwak’s lip with his sleeve. Lee Gwak tried to push him away, but he couldn’t find the strength to move his hand.

It wasn’t just his hands. He couldn’t feel his toes either.

“I can’t move my body. What happened?”

“Your body sustained severe injuries.”

“Details!”

“Hoo! The doctor said the damage to your bones and muscles is significant.There’s a possibility of a disability.”

“What kind of disability?”

“At worst, full-body paralysis…”

Oh Guhong couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

No matter how brazen he tried to be, it was hard for him to say it. Such were the grim implications of his words.

The councilor who had saved Yi Yun’s life had told him to be satisfied with just saving his life. Anything beyond that was in the realm of the gods, not the councilor.

His condition was that dire. His bones were broken in more than a dozen places, and major muscles and nerves were damaged.

It was a miracle he was still alive and breathing.

Gwan Il-hyeon had merely vented his anger on Lee Gwak, but now, Lee Gwak’s life was ruined.

“Hoo!”

“How did this…”

Members of Squad 13 didn’t dare look at Lee Gwak’s eyes. They felt like they were the culprits.

“Still, don’t worry too much. They promised to send doctors to treat you continuously.”

“…….”

“You never know, maybe a miracle will happen. So don’t get too upset and…”

“I want to be alone.”

“Gwak!”

“Everyone, please leave.”

“Alright. You probably need some time to sort out your thoughts. Be strong.”

Oh Guhong was the first to leave the room.

“Call us if you need anything.”

“You mustn’t harbor negative thoughts.”

Members of Squad 13 said one thing after another before going out.

Lee Gwak closed his eyes.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

He had given everything for the Jade Heaven Alliance, but all he received in return was cold indifference. To them, he was as insignificant as a pebble on the ground.

Time passed.

He didn’t know how many days had passed.

It seemed like a month or two had passed.

Trapped in the corner of a small room, time had no meaning for Lee Gwak,

His hair grew messy and unkempt, and his beard covered his face.

Only members of Squad 13 and the doctor visited him during that time.

Members of Squad 13 took turns taking care of him. The doctor that Jade Heaven Alliance had promised to send to him continuously had only shown his face a couple of times, and then never again.

Yet, Lee Gwak wasn’t disappointed. He had somehow anticipated this.

What bothered him more than the absence of the doctor was the absence of one person.

Geum Yul-seon, his lover.

Throughout this ordeal, she never visited him once.

Seok Yi-cheon had said she was too busy.

Geum Yul-seon had been recognized as the best musician in the Grand Abyss Music Hall and because of that, she had numerous performances and couldn’t free up her schedule.

Lee Gwak wasn’t naive enough to take Seok Yi-cheon’s words at face value.

He had been abandoned, thoroughly neglected.

By the Jade Heaven Alliance, and by his lover.

Lee Gwak bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“I will not crumble like this.”

If he hadn’t met the Lunatic Pugilist and had his consciousness awakened, he might have broken down in despair. Meeting the Lunatic Pugilist fundamentally changed his inner self, so much so that even in the worst of times, he would not break down and endure.

A few days later, an unexpected visitor came to his room.

“Brother.”

It was Han Socheon.

She had changed a lot.

Gone was the frightened and ragged appearance she’d had when she’d first entered the Jade Heaven Alliance. Now, she was well-dressed, with a healthy glow on her face.

“Socheon!”

“Brother.”

Her eyes trembled.

Seeing Lee Gwak’s terrible state, tears welled up in her eyes.

Han Socheon tried her best to hide her shaking expression and sat down next to Lee Gwak.

Lee Gwak’s lying figure was emaciated, reminding her of a withered tree. If there hadn’t been any focus in his eyes, he could have been mistaken for a dead man.

“I’m sorry for coming late, big brother. I tried to come sooner…”

“I’m fine.”

“Big brother.”

“I’m just lying down for a while. I’m really okay.”

Upon hearing Lee Gwak’s words, Han Socheon’s eyes trembled again.

Lee Gwak asked,

“Where have you been all this time?”

“I was taken to the Main Court.”

“The Main Court?”

“They wanted to see if I had any talent in martial arts.”

“And what did they find?”

“They said I have talent.”

She spoke matter-of-factly, but in truth, she possessed exceptional talent, enough to surprise even those in the Main Court. That’s why she was specially selected.

After she was recognized for her talent at the Main Court, she was given some free time. During that time, Han Socheon searched for Lee Gwak. But she couldn’t find him anywhere in the Outer Hall.

Desperately inquiring around, Han Socheon found out that Lee Gwak was all alone in a remote area of the Outer Hall.

While she was rejoicing over being recognized for her talents, Lee Gwak was battling despair alone here. She couldn’t fathom how much her heart ached when she discovered this.

She held Lee Gwak’s hand and spoke,

“Very soon, I will have to depart to train in martial arts.”

“I guess where you’re going is a secret.”

“How did you know?”

“That’s how things work here. Everything is handled in secret and people like me never get included in the loop.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Socheon. I’m just lying down here for a while because I’m in pain. You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I’m sure I’ll get up again.”

“I’m sure you will. I hope this book can help you.”

Han Socheon pulled out a book from her belongings.

It was an old tome, yellowed with age, so fragile it seemed it might crumble at a touch. On it, the words “Yoga Secret Manual” were faintly written.

“What’s that?”

“It’s one of the books from the Main Court’s library. It was passed down from Tianzhu and it’s said to be good for strengthening one’s muscles and bones, so I brought it.”

The Yoga Secret Manual she was holding was something no one in the Main Court had ever shown interest in.

The yoga techniques of Tianzhu were known to be mysteriously profound and efficient for strengthening one’s muscles, but because its martial principles were different from those of the Central Plains, they weren’t easy to master.

In order to properly master the art, one would have to start from scratch. For someone who had made it to the Jade Heaven Alliance’s Main Court, they would have already mastered to some extent the martial arts of prominent Jianghu sects, so starting from scratch was out of the question.

While there were a few individuals who became curious about the Yoga Secret Manual and tried to learn it in earnest, they eventually gave up due to the vague phrases that felt like chasing mirages and the breathing techniques that deviated from the norm.

After that, it became an item that no one paid attention to. It became something that collected dust in a corner of the Main Court’s martial arts repository. That’s why Han Socheon wasn’t stopped when she brought it out.

In truth, Han Socheon didn’t believe the Yoga Secret Manual would be of much help to Lee Gwak. But she wanted to do something for him, and that’s why she brought the Yoga Secret Manual.

She was rather embarrassed about this fact.

“I’m sorry this is all I can give you.”

“No, thank you.”

Lee Gwak nodded his head.

The effort it took for him to be able to move his head like this was indescribable.

While others could perform natural actions as easily as breathing, he had to exert all his strength. But there was hope: if he could move his neck, then perhaps one day he might move his limbs, a possibility he clung to with belief.

Lee Gwak’s gaze shifted to the Yoga Secret Manual.

He had no knowledge of what kind of martial arts the Yoga Secret Manual was or the potential it held.

If it was a martial art that Han Socheon could bring out, then it was surely something that others would deem insignificant. The system of the Jade Heaven Alliance wasn’t so lax as to allow a novice in martial arts to casually take out something important.

Despite this, the reason Lee Gwak showed interest was because he currently needed something to distract him from his pain and boredom.

Lying motionless all day was excruciating, both physically and mentally. Time passed slowly, and every day felt like an eternity in hell.

With great effort, he managed to move his neck, but there was no telling when his limbs would follow suit.

Until then, Lee Gwak needed something to help him forget the tedious passage of time. He might not know what the Yoga Secret Manual was, but it was certain to be a great distraction.

The only problem was that Lee Gwak, on his own, couldn’t even move a finger, making it impossible for him to read the Yoga Secret Manual.

After thinking for a while, Lee Gwak looked at Han Socheon.

“Soyeon!”

“Yes!”

“Would it be too much trouble to tear the pages from the Yoga Secret Manual and paste them on the ceiling?”

“What?”

“Please.”

“Alright…”

Han Socheon began to tear pages from the Yoga Secret Manual and paste them onto the ceiling.

Half an hour later, the vast ceiling was covered with incomprehensible writings.

Lee Gwak stared blankly at the ceiling.

Han Socheon then bid him farewell.

“Big brother, I have to go now. I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back, but if I do, I’ll definitely come back to visit.”

“Okay!”

“Until then, please take care of yourself.”

“You take care of yourself, too, and… don’t trust other people too much.”

“……”

“The Jade Heaven Alliance… Jianghu is more treacherous than you know. So, always be wary of others and try to protect yourself.”

Those words were also a reminder to Lee Gwak himself.

It took him five years to understand the ways of Jianghu. Lee Gwak hoped Han Socheon wouldn’t squander her time figuring that out like he did.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Han Socheon nodded and stood up. She looked at Lee Gwak’s face for a moment before heading outside.

Thud!

The door closed, leaving Lee Gwak alone in the room.

Countless writing poured into Lee Gwak’s eyes like stars falling.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

Ouch, unlike in the manhwa, Geum Yul-seon did not visit Lee Gwak at all. Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Yoga Secret Manual. Raws: 유가비전(瑜伽祕傳).
   • 瑜伽 yújiā – yoga (loanword)
   • 祕傳 mìchuán – to hand down secret knowledge from generation to generation within a school or family etc.

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